You and I Both
by SYuuri
Summary: Tommy hates Kim, Kim hates Tommy. They hate each other, don't they? Plz read and review. COMPLETE! added one last chapter!
1. And so it begins

**You and I both…**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Power Rangers or the song.**

**: In the story they're just normal high school teenagers with no extraordinary powers.  
: This is my second story and I hope you like it. Enjoy:)**

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**Chapter One : And so it begins**

" Damn, damn, I'll be really late, really really late," Tommy swore under his breath while he jumped out of his jeep. He grabbed his file from the passenger seat and his bag with his other hand. Today was his third day being the new student in Angel Grove high and he didn't dare to say that he had done a very good job on those three days.

Let's see. Two days ago he was late because he was so caught up with the documentary of the the Lost Martial Arts in the National Geographic channel that he didn't go to sleep until about four in the morning, which meant he only got two and a half hour of sleep. And for Tommy Oliver, that'd never be enough. On top all that, he wasn't a morning person as well. Put two and two together, he showed up late at his very first day in his brand new school.

You were wrong if you're thinking the next day would be better. He did wake up two hours before the school started. He woke up, showered, ate breakfast, grabbed his key and went off to school. Everything was alright until abruptly his old jeep began rattling like his uncle who smoked too much cigar before stopping dead in the middle of the street. In his all-panic-mode he saw that the fuel tank was empty. He mentally made note to kick David's butt when he got home later. Being a good brother, Tommy'd actually let him to take the jeep the night before, with a guarantee that David would refill the gasoline. And look what happened. Day two and guess what? Late again.

And now, after being late for two days in a row, he simply couldn't repeat that again. He's pretty sure that his name had been added to the blacklist of Mrs. Applebee's. Definitely not a good impression.

It's a shame that he seemed to have all the bad luck in the world that he actually, no surprise here, forgot to set the alarm last night. A quick shower was in order and he flew right away. He didn't even have the time to pull his hair back into his usual ponytail. The first period for today was history and Mr. Poleman had told all students to hand in the paper on time, which in this case was ten minutes ago.

" Come on, come on," he run through the now empty hallway. Tommy was about to make a turn when a flash of bright pink bumped into him, or did he bump into it? He lost his balance and tumbled backwards, his bag slide from his arm and his blue file dropped to the floor.

" Gosh! What's your problem?" he opened his eyes and figured that the flash of pink he saw was actually a girl wearing a pink T-shirt. She was also sitting on the floor, her hand's rubbing a spot on her forehead.

" Oh, I really don't have time for this," Tommy groaned, bringing himself off the floor. He took the blue file and began running, his mind occupied by the fact that Mr. Poleman wouldn't accept his assignment. The full day research at the library almost drove him crazy and sitting in front of the computer for four glorious hours almost made him blind. He must accept it.

" Hey! Don't you know that there is to be no running in the corridor?" he heard the girl shouting and he spared a few seconds to turn his head. She frowned and got on her feet. Tommy would happily respond if only he wasn't so late. Thus he just ignored her and continued his sprint, silently praying that Mr. Poleman was also late. Yeah Tommy, as if.

Finally he made it to his class in one piece. It's a great relief that he didn't meet with his other teachers on his way there or he would get into another trouble. Tommy stood in front of the door, swallowing hard. He tried to calm his breaths. Mr. Poleman's whispery voice could be heard faintly and Tommy realized that the mid-aged teacher had started teaching. Taking a deep breath of air, he knocked and waited until Mr. Poleman replied. When he did, Tommy quitely turned the handle open.

" My, my, my," Jac Poleman shook his head, his hazel eyes pierced Tommy's very soul. " look what we got here,"

Tommy tried to smile, taking a step inside the class. He closed the door and turned back to the displeased history teacher. The class was quiet and from the corner of his eyes he could see that Jason and Zack were laughing mutely at him. " I'm sorry, Mr. Poleman, I was-," the gesture of Mr. Poleman's hand stopped his sentence.

" I don't want to hear any excuses from you, Mr. Oliver," his gaze moved down from Tommy's head to his toe. He put his textbook on the table and said, " it's a beautiful morning and I won't let a tardy student," Tommy's face turned red. " ruin my wonderful day. I hope this will not happen again in the future,"

" It won't," Tommy quickly answered. He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

" You can put your paper in the table and you may go to your seat," he finished and picked up his book. " now where were we?"

Tommy shot Jason a smirk and took his file out. He pulled out the paper inside and the grin on his face diminished in a fraction of seconds. This is so not happening…

He looked down at the paper with confusion. It's supposed to be the five thousand words essay, his first assignment in his new school, but what he found was…

_Down the road, _

_We'll never know _

_What life may have on store _

_Winds of change, _

_will rearrange Our lives more than-_

What the hell?

He quickly reached for the file that lay on the table and looked at the label attached on the cover. Instead of the name Thomas Oliver he found the name Kimberly Hart printed in an irritating flowery font.

" Tommy, any problem?" he was so caught up with the matter in his hand that he didn't notice Mr. Poleman had once again stopped teaching.

_Kimberly Hart…_

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" Damn that guy!" Kim rubbed her forehead, trying to rub out the soreness that lingered. He almost knocked her out and he just went without even apologizing, just a glance. A stupid glance to make sure she's still alive. He didn't even help her to get up. Jerk.

Kim was on her way to Ms. Monique's office when all of the sudden an unknown boy bumped into her, sending her straight to the floor. She was pretty sure she never saw him before. Just by thinking of him and her tender forehead, she felt her temper rising again. Just wait until she met him again!

" Come in," the gentle voice of her music teacher replied to her knock and Kim opened the door. The young teacher was sitting behind her desk and there's a man with glasses sat across her. Kim smiled nervously and bolted the door behind her.

" Good morning, Kimberly," Ms. Monique greeted her sweetly, her lips forming a smile.

" Good morning," Kim nodded her head and shook the man's hand.

" Now, why don't you take a seat," once Kim was settled, the teacher began to speak. " Kim is one of the best students we have. She was last year's school president and also a great gymnast,"

Kim couldn't help but blushing. The redhead teacher noted her change of expression and smiled delicately.

" She's also a talented musician and we have decided to send her song to the Sound and Music competition," she looked back at Kim and introduced the man. " Kim, this is Mr. Brightman. Jerry Brightman. He used to be my teacher back in the university and when I told him about you, he really interested to meet you and of course, listen to your song,"

" Hi Kimberly," Mr. Brightman's voice kinda reminded Kim of her father's. Deep and comforting. Kim nearly laughed at the situation. Just like his name, his smile was surely so 'bright'. He had a set of very nice teeth for an old man. Her dentist would give him a standing ovation.

" Nice to meet you, Mr. Brightman,"

" So, I believe that is your work," he pointed the file on her hand. " may I?"

" Oh, of course," Kim quickly gave the file to the grey haired man. Her heart thumped on her chest. Ms. Monique secretly winked at her and Kim stiffled her laugh. She liked Ms. Monique. In fact, it'd be hard to find a student who didn't adore the young teacher. She's in her mid twenties, had a slighty funky attitude and she could communicate with the teenagers easily. In addition, she's an easy going person who never gave much homework. The last one was more likely the reason why every student loved her dearly.

Ms. Monique was the one who told Kim about the competition and had encouranged her to participate. And now she's introducing her to her teacher. Kim knew that Mr. Brightman was the man in his time. He's a famous conductor about a decade ago and-

" Excuse me, Kimberly," Mr. Brightman cut her trail of thoughts. " your name is Kimberly right?"

" Yes," Kim's eyebrows furrowed together and she chewed her lower lips. An old habit she found hard to kill when she was nervous.

His eyes sparkled with mirth. " Are you sure you're not Thomas Oliver?"

" Who?" Kim nearly shouted. What did he say?

" See for yourself," he kindly handed her the papers and she could feel her hand trembling when she received them. Her eyes scanned the page fast and what she saw nearly make her faint.

_The Critique of Pure Reason and Its Impact in History_

_An Assessment _

_By Thomas Oliver_

What? How? Why? All thoughts swirled around in her head before the fact struck her mercilessly. That guy! The guy from earlier. The irresponsible jerk.

_Oh damnit, Thomas Oliver!_

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:** Thank you for reading! So what do you think, should I continue? Please review, let me know what you think. No flame!**

**- Yuuri**


	2. The name is Tommy Oliver

**You and I Both…**

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**Disclaimer : I own nothing, but I do own Max, Ms. M****onique and everyone who isn't Power Rangers related.**

**: Thanks for the reviews! Here is the new chapter, hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave your review because they make me happy but no flame:)**

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**Chapter Two : The name is Tommy Oliver**

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" I can't believe this. I mean, who is he? Who he thinks he is?" Kimberly's small fist slammed the surface of the table. She bit her lips hard to prevent much more swearing._ Breathe, Kim…_

The girl sat in front of her stopped sipping her smoothie, her fingers playing with the green stripe straw. Her black eyes glowed with laughter. " Kimberly, breathe,"

" I'm trying to," Kim shot back, her voice had risen shrilly. The more she tried not to remember the disaster, the more difficult she succeeded. She could practically see the boy in her mind. Tall, long hair, the earing…yuck! Plus that attitude, she's wondering why she never knew about him before. She tried to find him, but it seemed all the luck in the world was leaving her, in the time she really needed it.

" Good. Now I think I could answer your question," Trini said solemnly.

" Which one?" Kim's eyes started wondering all over the crowded juice bar. She waved when she spotted Richie standing not too far from her place. The light kick on her feet brought her attention back to the Asian girl. " sorry. You were saying?"

" Okay. First, his name is Tommy Oliver," she clamped her hands together.

" I know, it's written in there," Kim muttered half heartedly, nodding at the blue file that sat on the chair behind her. To be honest, Kim wasn't sure why she didn't just dump it in the nearest trash bin, considering it had totally destroyed her chance to get a good first impression in front of Mr. Brightman. It or its writer, she still hadn't decided." Thomas Oliver. My nightmare," His name sounded innocuous enough. Only his name.

" Two, he is a new student from Texas," Trini continued, stopping to sip her pineapple smoothie. Her lips smiled lightly when Kim squirmed impatiently on her seat, definitely wanting her to go on. " and from what I know, he's quite a hunk,"

Kim nearly fell from her chair when Trini said the last part. That guy? A _hunk_? Please! He had nothing to compare to Max Winthrop, her senior who had graduated last year and left her all alone to Germany. Now THAT was the living proof of a hunk. His wavy brown hair, those deep dark eyes and that smile!

" Hello, earth to Kim?" Trini's waving her hand in front of Kim's face and she's back to the ground. Gone was Max Winthrop, hello Tommy Oliver. " are you in there?"

" Look, that guy's a hunk? Whoever thinks that way is wrong. They know nothing about him!" _yeah, like_ _**you** know something about him, Kimmie_. She hadn't finished yet. " I-am-sorry. He's too arogant to say those three little words to me," she took a lot of pauses, giving rooms to emphasize each word. She took a deep gulp of air before continued. " and, he totally humiliated me in front of Mr. Brightman. _That_ Jerry Brightman. And the last straw is, he got my file with him. How I could be so lucky?"

She'd been thinking. A little voice in the back of her head whispered that there's a 99.9 percent chance that Tommy Oliver wouldn't return her file effortlessly. Probably that's why she kept his file with her, so they could trade. Oh, what an idea. She knew the action slash romance movie she rented last weekend combined with the choco cookies ice cream were such a bad influence. Of course, in the movie it's a top secret document of the FBI, not the critique of whatever that Tommy guy had written. But still, if-,

" Kim, you don't know this guy. You merely met him for like what, one minute? Half a minute? And you said all that. It's kinda cold, don't you think? Maybe he's just as upset as you are, now that you have his file with you," Trini pointed out logically, snapping Kim from her day dreaming. She had been friends with Kim almost all her life and completely comprehended that the brunette could be a little emotional at times.

Kim sighed, glancing away. Deeply in her heart, she knew that Trini had a point.Trini had carefully chosen her words with care as if Kim was a ticking bom who might go off anytime.

" How do you know about all these?" then Kim dipped her voice low and leaned over. " don't tell me you actually like him,"

" No!" Trini quickly shook her head. She smiled bashfully when Kim cocked her eyebrows. " I mean, no. He's not my type. Too… handsome?" the yellow clad Asian girl herself found the reason quite odd, but that's the truth.

" Too _handsome_?" Kim repeated uncertainly. Generally most girls would love any good looking man. Kim loved them too, as long as it came one pack with brains. And no, she didn't count Tommy as one of them, just for the record. " what do you mean?"

" He's too handsome, what's so difficult to understand?" Trini crossed her arms in front of her chest, narrowing her eyes at Kim.

Kim was silent for a second before a leer formed across her face. " I know what's your type,"

Trini simply raised her eyebrows and Kim piped up, " You know… clever, smart, wearing glasses, sandy blond hair…," she looked at Trini's now blushing face. " I even know what his name is!"

" I don't like him!" Trini hissed. Now Kim was fully smiling from ear to ear.

" Trini, I didn't say a name,"

" Oh whatever," Trini rolled her eyes desperately. Kim snickered and she didn't say anything about it again. Trini leaned back against her chair and went," I know that because Jason told me so and I'm in the same Geography class with him. With Tommy, I mean,"

" Jason knows him?" Kim straightened her back.

" Zack does too," Trini dropped her hands from her chin, nodding and Kim sank deeper in her chair.

" How come I didn't know about any of these? I don't even know that we have a new student!" Kim protested. Nobody said a word about a new student. Well, okay, maybe because she barely sat together with her friends in one place for more than ten minutes for the last few days. She had been busy arranging a good song for the competition. The song she handed-, she wanted to give to Ms. Monique was the best song from her twelve other songs.

" Talking about Tommy…," Kim lifted her head and saw Trini was looking pass her shoulder. Kim turned on her seat, right before Tommy dissapeared.

" It's him!" Kim jumped. She quickly scrambled to her feet, grabbing the file that looked identical as hers and without saying anything leaped towards the entrance. He had her file with her and that's the most important thing. She had to give it to Ms. Monique later in the day. Today was the deadline to collect it.

Kim found the person she's looking for standing in the almost empty parking lot. He had his back to her but she's 100 percent sure that was Thomas Oliver. _The_ hunk.

" Hey Tommy!" she shouted but got no answer. " hey! Tommy Oliver!" still no respond. Great.

Kim waited until a white sedan drove passed then she crossed the street. Her eyes observed him and her heart sank a little when she didn't see her file. Well, maybe he kept it inside his bag? Yeah, that's the best explanation. Must be it.

When he was an arm length, Kim reached out her hand and tapped his shoulder. He swirled around and her eyes met his darker ones.

" Where is it?" she demanded on his face, didn't give him time to recover from his surprise. " where is my file?"

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**: Kim finally knew who the 'jerk' that bumped into her is. What would happen next? Would he give it back to her? Next time we'll see more Tommy, promise.**

**-Yuuri**


	3. Let's call it a day

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : Any Power Ranger related aren't mine.**

**: Thank you for everyone who has reviewed :) nice to know you like my story. Just like I'd promised you all, this one is a Tommy chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Three : Let's Call It a Day**

He did hear someone call out his name. He did pretend like he didn't hear anything. Why's that? Because it's her. _The_ Kimberly Hart. The same Kimberly Hart who had ruined his morning, aside from David's doing for making the jeep stopped on his way to school. He would pay. But that's later, for now…

" Hey, Tommy Oliver!" he would recognize the voice anywhere, anytime. He didn't answer that one time and she repeated. Again he didn't respond. He's waiting for the third 'Tommy Oliver' when someone tapped his shoulder. Acting on impulse, he swirled around to face the petite girl whose glare matched his.

" Where is it?" said the furious Kimberly. " where is my file?"

She's done talking, it's his turn.

" What file?"

Kim bit her lips, breathing to stop her hands from clenching and unclenching. " What do you mean _what file_? You know the one, my file, the one that you took after you hit and run? Ring a bell?" now her hands planted on her hips.

Tommy closed his eyes for a moment, calming himself from yelling at her face. What a perfect timing. _Now_ she's here. Where was she when he looked for her all this day? Where was she when he's practically turning the school upside down this afternoon?

When he opened his eyes few seconds later, the soft brown orbs were still piercing at his firmly. It was when he saw her hand clutch a file-,his file tightly like he would snatch it from her without warning. Now that he came to think about it, it's not a bad idea.

" Give it to me," Tommy held his hand out but Kim's eyes didn't leave his.

" Yeah? Why don't you give my file first, then we'd talk," she shot back.

Tommy laughed, shaking his head. Who did she think she is? James Bond? He really wasn't in the mood for this. He looked down and said in a tightly controlled voice, " Look, I'll give you yours, but you have to return that to me,"

" I'm not giving it back, not until you return mine," she stated again.

Okay, she's stubborn, he's stubborn. Now who's gonna raise the white flag first? Absolutely not him. Usually, Tommy was a gentleman. His parent had taught him well and his Dad even gave him a long good lecture about how they men, had to respect women. That's a nature of life. But he'd make an exception. This was a special case.

From his chit chat with Jason earlier this morning, he'd collected some facts about Kimberly Hart. Like how she was his friend since they're in the kindergarten, where did she live, how she's a very nice girl and how her dog had passed away two years ago because of a drunk driver. He found them very intriguing… not! Her _dog_, for God's sake!

Unfortunately, like it had been all morning, she's not in the same class with any of them and even the Oliver, Scott and Taylor team-up couldn't find the perky Kimberly. Like she had pulled a perfect disappearing act.

" Find, if you don't want to give it back, then keep it," after all, it's no use. Mr. Poleman had assigned him for another assessment to make. A ten thousand word essay about the Ruling Dynasti of China. Due two days from today. Ten thousand words! In 48 hours! How the hell he would finish that? And China? He's completely blind about the oriental world. " and for your information," he paused, looking into the eyes that looked at him attentively. " your file? I threw it away,"

Silence. A very uncomfortable silence fell between them. Tommy could faintly hear the laughters from the Juice Bar.

He was expecting her to blow up, yell at him or maybe punch him good. But crying was not one of the options.

Okay, so she wasn't actually breaking down into tears. Her eyes misted up and he could see water welling in them. He thought. Her face was hard to read and slowly but surely, guilt started seeping into his soul. He hated girls for their crying habit, sometimes they're just so sensitive that they would cry over some unimportant things. But in the same time, he couldn't stand watching them did just that. Especially when it was caused by him.

" Hey, don't-,"

" You _dumped_ it?" she sputtered, her voice was trembling. Either because of her anger or maybe because of she's holding back the tears. Tommy hoped it was the former. Kim's eyes grew perceptibly bigger. " how could you!"

" Look, Kimberly," he said her name for the first time. Her sudden gesture prevented him from talking much further.

" So you threw them away?" she opened his file, who had his essay in it, and grabbed it roughly. " see this?" she lifted her hand high enough for him to smell the paper. " say goodbye,"

Before knowing what'd happen next, Kim span around in frustation and walked towards the trash bin about three meters from them. She shot a dead glare at Tommy for the last time and released her grip on the papers.

Tommy's eyes bulging as the papers slowly vanish from his sight. He was too astonished to even comment, left alone to react.

Kim brushed her hands together as if she had done a very heavy task and succeeded. She looked back at Tommy and he couldn't find the tears that he thought was there before. Instead he found satisfaction and determination. Correct him if he's wrong, but the anger and sadness were still lingered somewhere in the brown depths.

" There! I just threw your file away, in case you don't know what I was doing just now," she began to leave but not before saying," next time maybe you can make an essay about _The Critigue of Being a Jerk_,"

Tommy watched as she cross the street and walk straight to the Juice Bar. It cost him about a full minute to regain his senses. She threw them away! In front of his eyes! He was clueless, whether he had to be angry or upset. As sappy as that sounded, it cost him about 15 hours of his 48 hours to make that damn paper.

Reaching at his bag, he absently unzipped it and peeked at a file inside. Contradicting with his saying, he actually didn't throw it away. But Kim did dump his. He laughed at the irony. Fine. No sweat. That paper was useless after all. Now what would he do with _this_?

" Hey, Tommy!" he lifted his head, finding Jason walked to his direction.

" Hi Jase,"

" So, where have you been? I thought I'm going to introduce you to the gang," said the martial artist in the black T-shirt. Yeah, Jason was into karate too and Tommy couldn't wait until they could spar together. It's nice to know someone who shared the same interest as him in this new place.

Jason's words came up. The gang? Considering Kimberly had been his friend since they're so little, it's safe to assume that she was in the gang too, right? He couldn't meet her, not after what'd happened.

" Actually, I can't. Something came up and I have to go home," he must be convincing enough that Jason only poked him in the shoulder.

" Too bad, man. Well, maybe tomorrow?" Jason suggested.

Well, let's see. Was one day span long enough? Honest to be said, Tommy wasn't sure if he could face Kim without feeling irritated. First day meeting and she definitely wasn't the person he wanted to hang out with. Seeing her was in the bottom of his short to-do list. " We'll see,"

" Great. You already knew Zack, and you surely have to meet Trini, Billy and Kimberly!"

Bingo… Surely he _had_ to meet her.

".., they're cool, you'll like them!" Jason finished without paying any attention that his new friend had gone quiet.

" I bet," Tommy replied flatly, not too sure about it. " so, Jase, have fun with the guys. I guess I'll see you in school?"

" Yeah, I need to talk to Kim anyway," Tommy's ears pricked at this one. His eyebrows rose involuntarily. Jason noticed and shrugged. " I want to ask her about the music competition she's in,"

Music competition? Tommy thought that was a poem or something like that. Well, he didn't quite paying too much attention at it. " So, what about it?"

" Well, I wanted to know if she has collected it. Today's the latest. Billy said she had given it yesterday but I'm just curious,"

Yesterday? So the one with his wasn't the super important file? But then why did she cr-, almost cry when he told her he had thrown it away? Or maybe Billy was wrong?

This morning, after he realized that he had taken the wrong file, he just put it on his bag, not really sure what to do or more likely didn't want to see the thing that had put him into a new trouble. To his two friends he just explained that there's an accident and he ended up having Kim's file but Tommy didn't mention what file it was, and they too didn't ask. Instead he got a short history lesson about Kimberly Hart's life by Jason Lee Scott, _PhD_. Duh.

He didn't know anything about any competition at that time, and since he didn't think the paper was somekind of assignment, he just practically forgot about it. He went for the hunting of Kimberly Hart, hoping Mr. Poleman would take it easy on him if he could present it that day and perhaps he could return her file back to Kimberly. _If_ they met, which they didn't.

Tommy realized that if somehow Jason was wrong and the file he got was indeed '_The One'_… " Hand it to whom? The committee or something?"

" Of course to Ms. Monique," Jason regarded Tommy with a funny look. He blinked some more. " what's wrong, Tommy? You want to join too? I don't know you're into music," he chuckled.

" No, just asking," when Jason's still eyeing him curiously, Tommy knew it's time to end the conversation. " so, I have to go. See you, man,"

" Bye, Tommy"

Tommy walked to his now full tank jeep. What Jason'd said kept playing in his head. The questions didn't come up for nothing. Even with his grudge at Kim, it just didn't feel right.

Fine, the accident this morning was his fault. He's man enough to admit it. Taking the wrong file was his fault as well. Lying at her was too, his fault. So basically, everything was **his** own doing. But she for being so annoying was not his fault. He knew that aside from her throwing his essay away, she didn't do anything. But what with this feeling? He didn't know. Yet.

* * *

A group of cheerleaders descended the stairs and walked passed him, whispering and giggling at each other. Not thinking so highly about himself, Tommy knew that he's the object of their talk. It's already been that way since his first step into this building. He never considered himself as good-looking, but with the letters that always waiting for him in his locker almost everyday he probably had to rethink. He didn't know most of the senders, but he read them alright. At least he could show some respects by reading the letters. Mostly they would consist many '_I like you'_s and '_you're so cute'_s. Come on, didn't they know that guys disliked to be called cute? Well, at least Tommy did. 

After walking to the wrong direction twice, he finally reached Ms. Monique's office. What would he do now? Knocking at the door then what? Tommy wasn't sure why he did what he did, but it seemed to be the best thing to do.

" Come in," a woman answered to his knock and he opened the door. Ms. Monique stopped from whatever she's signing at the moment and raised her head.

" Good afternoon," said Tommy rather awkwardly.

" Yes, can I help you, young man?"

Tommy reached for his bag and pulled out the blue file. Kim's file. He put it on the desk in front of Ms. Monique. " This is Kimberly Hart's. She has to go home early because something happened," please don't ask _what_ happened. It just came out.

Ms. Monique took the file, opening it and studied the papers inside. Meanwhile Tommy stood there like an Indian statue. Two seconds later, the redhead teacher took her glasses off and looked up at him with unmask interest. " Thank you. I was afraid that she changed her mind. Thankfully she didn't,"

" Yeah..," lacking for something to say he just nodded. " okay, thanks, Ms. Monique," he smiled and turned around, wanting to get out of here before questions started to flow.

" Wait!"

_Great_." Yes?"

" Are you a friend of Kimberly? I believe I never saw you before,"

Was he a friend of Kim? They just had a verbal fight not until an hour ago, could he count that as friend's daily banter? He decided to leave out the first question. " My name is Tommy, I'm a new student from Texas,"

" I see," she took her pen and offering him a bright smile. " well then, welcome to Angel Grove,"

" Thanks," he smiled self-consciously.

Tommy closed the door quietly, taking sometimes to sort everything out. Good. What had to be done is done. Then he groaned. Man, that ten thousand words paper! Damn!

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**: The end of chapter three… Don't forget to leave your review, let me know what you think. No Flame! **

**- Yuuri**


	4. Here we go all over again

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I don't own a thing, just characters that aren't power rangers related.**

**AN : This story is completely AU. **

**: Thank you for everyone who has reviewed, I appreciate them so much! Here is the fourth chapter. Enjoy: )**

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**Chapter Four : Here we go all over again**

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On her way to her locker, Kim was still a bit of confused about what had happened 5 minutes ago. Ms. Monique called out for her and she stopped dead on her track. Now what'd she tell her teacher? That she backed out because a guy, a jerk, a Thomas Oliver to be précised, oh-so-not accidentally threw her works away? She had to say that? Nah... Or maybe she should? So Tommy would get a nice detention for the entire week? What must be concerned was, did Ms. Monique able to do that to him? Don't think so.

A reason hadn't popped in her mind when the young teacher stood before her, her eyes looked at her warmly. Wait. Warmly? How could she be smiling, let alone smiling _warmly_ at her after yesterday? Kim knew she supposed to tell Ms. Monique about her backing out of the music competition, but she actually didn't. Didn't tell her, she meant. Kim was too upset at the fact that an unknown guy dumped her precious file away. And like it hadn't badly enough, Jason came from out of nowhere and said that his new friend from Texas, named Tommy Oliver, couldn't be there to hang out with them. That's good but the fact that Jason _knew_ Tommy only meant one thing. Meeting him again was something inevitably.

Easy to predict, a jerk like Tommy probably wouldn't risk a chance of seeing her once again. Well, good thing that he'd thought better of it, because Kim wasn't sure if she could keep her fist to herself when she met him. So the conversation began. Jason asked her about the competition, she answered him she's backing out. As simple as that. A kick under the table clamped Trini's mouth shut from blurting out the hit and run thing earlier that morning. Kim wouldn't let Tommy think that she's a weak, pathetic girl who couldn't handle her own problems. So she said that the file had somehow missing. The end.

" Hi, Ms. Monique!" her voice sounded cheery enough for someone who just experienced a catastrophe the other day.

" Kimberly, I just want to say that-," Kim inhaled a deep breathe, preparing herself for whatever coming. "your song is great!"

_What? _

" The lyrics is so beautiful, and you made the score neatly. I bet all my money that you're going to win this one, Kim," Ms. Monique said with all excitement.

What was she talking about? What lyrics? What score? She didn't collect her file. Not even the record she'd made. The cassette sat in her drawer at home right now. Seeing it just brought back bad memory. Now from where Ms. Monique got all that?

Kim said," Excuse me, Ms. But I didn't collect my file. Maybe you're mistaken somebody's file to mine?"

" No," Ms. Monique answered in her as always gentle voice. A plus for her fragile looking appearance. "I waited for you in my office and suddenly there's a boy came up with your file," she frowned. " he said you had something to take care of so you couldn't hand in it personally. You seemed to forget to give your cassette, dear. Since I have the compilation of your songs you showed me days ago, I ripped the Down the Road myself,"

Honestly, Kim's confusion rose to a higher level. This just didn't make sense at all. A boy? Who? Then again, Tommy had made himself clear. He didn't have her file anymore. He said he had _threw it away_. That's his exact words. Unless…

" Ah, of course!" Kim snapped her fingers together. " yeah, my Mom wanted me to baby sit my sister so I have to go home early,"

Ms. Monique said with raised eyebrows, "I thought you're the only child,"

" My cousin," Kim quickly amended. " yes, my niece from Stone Canyon. My aunt came for a visit yesterday,"

" I see," Ms. Monique replied though she didn't look all that convinced.

" So I asked my friend to do me a favor," how was Kim going to know the identity of the boy without rising any suspiciousness? " looks like he came just in time,"

Ms. Monique nodded, folded her arms over her chest. " He's a nice guy. What's his name again?"

What? How could she know his name while she didn't even have a clue who was the guy? Kim doubtfully said, " Tommy… Oliver?"

" Ah yes! Tommy Oliver, the new kid from Texas," Ms. Monique confirmed what's on Kim's mind and it didn't make Kim felt any better, at all. " well then, let's pray for the best. Have a nice day, Kimberly,"

Kim was too shocked to say anything so she just smiled and nodded. Tommy Oliver, the new kid from Texas. As far as she knew, there's only one Tommy Oliver from Texas and that was him. The jerk, the one who admitted had thrown away her file. _The_ hunk.

Kimberly opened her locker and pulled out some textbooks. He didn't plunk her file at the nearest trash bin then. He kept it but saying he'd dumped it. He must think he's so smart, huh? Now, should she come to him with all curtsy and told him she was sorry for calling himself a jerk? She wasn't being too nice yesterday, she realized that completely. But coming over and apologizing? No, definitely no. Just pretend like she didn't know. Like Ms. Monique didn't say anything.

_Afternoon period, Biology lab._

" Where is she?" Trini whispered to Billy, her eyes locked at the blue painted closed door.

" She's late," Zack responded, shrugging casually. He got a glare from the Asian girl sat in front of him. "what? She's not here yet, so it means she's late,"

" Try to tell us something we don't know, Zack," Jason, who was seated next to the American African boy stifled his snort.

" I saw her with Suze. She probably doesn't realize that the break is over already," the genius boy answered, his hands cleaning his glasses with his shirt.

" Well then, she's dead," Zack stated matter-of-factly and receiving another round of glares from his friends. " what? It's true!"

" Okay, good afternoon class," the loud claps of Mr. Simon's hands effectively stopped the buzzing in the room. After he made sure he got everyone's attention, the thirty year old science teacher went on, " so last week we has finished the chemical reaction project. Today we'll do something light,"

The exclamation invited a loud of applause from every corner of the lab. Mr. Simon raised his hand and all the students went quiet. " What I meant is, we have made an agreement in the last semester that I could reorganize-,"

The P.A speaker rattled, catching everyone's attention.

" Good afternoon. Mr. Simon, your presence is needed in the principal office immediately. Thank you,"

The teacher made a face and growled under his breath. He didn't like if someone, anyone including the Principal disrupted his time. In the other hand, all the students secretly nudging at each other, knowing they would get an extra break.

" You heard her, so please make yourself discreet, read page 56 and don't leave the lab, in any excuses. I'll be right back," he put his coat on and got out of the class.

As expected, the class broke into yells and laughters, their textbook laying forgotten on the tables.

The laboratory had two doors, an entrance and an exit. At that time, the back door swang open and Trini sighed in relief when Suze and a shorter girl walked in. Everybody in the room was too busy with their own business that noone noticed them, except the raven haired girl.

" Look who's here," she nodded at Kimberly who quickly made her way to her desk, which was the third table from the front class. All four pair of eyes was set on the petite girl.

" Kim, you're so lucky, girl," Zack whistled.

" Hello to you too, Zack," Kim replied back. Out of the blue, she was pushed by Bulk who was being chased by his beloved partner in crime, Skull. With her light weight and the gravity, she tumbled and landed on a guy who sat one row behind her. " Bulk!"

" Sorry Kimberly," the fat boy replied, not stopping his pace.

Jason and her friends were laughing, not even asking if she was alright. Kim groaned, pushing herself up from the guy's back and…

" It's you!" she shouted bluntly. No, this must be somekind of a trick or something. This just _mustn't_ happen to her!

" I guess sorry will do just fine," the guy, who turned out to be **Tommy Oliver**, said. She found his expression was infuriatingly calm, unlike Kim who felt the color of her face drain as soon as she recognized him. " right, Kimberly?"

" What are you doing here?" she asked desperately.

" I want to study Biology?" Tommy answered plainly. " how's that sound?"

" Kim, do you know Tommy?" she didn't realize that Jason had got up from his seat and now standing beside her. She looked up at him.

" What?"

" Well, you know each other already," Jason shrugged, patting Tommy's shoulder. " so no introduction needed,"

" Nice to meet you, Kim," the white T-shirt guy said harmlessly and Kim felt intimidated by his dark eyes which seemed to follow her every move. Great. This was a real nightmare. She and him in the same class? Here we go, world war III.

Kim approached Trini who watched the entire thing with delight. " Hi, Kim,"

" Don't 'hi' me, Trini. He's here! Tommy's here!" Kim hissed huffily. She could feel that Zack, Billy, Jason _and_ Tommy were now looking at her.

Trini sighed and shook her head, moving her long black hair. " Kim,the possibility for you to be in the same class with him is so high that I don't have to tell you. Come on, you know that, don't you?"

Kim knew, but she refused to believe it. Okay, don't be such a 'girl', Kimmie. You could do this. It's just him. Just pretend you didn't see him.

" Okay, whatever,"

The door swung open and Mr. Simon walked in. All students instantaneously scrambled back to their places. Kim dragged her feet to her table, which was in front of Tommy. She returned Justin's, her lab partner, smile weakly and sat straight. Oh… she could practically feel Tommy's eyes pierced through her back. The thought made the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

" I'm sorry guys for the delay," Mr. Simon picked up the papers he abandoned from the table and put on his glasses. " so, like I said, today we won't do any experiment. Just like our agreement last semester, I have full authority to rearrange your group when the condition is necessary. And right now, the situation _is_ necessary enough,"

Kim didn't hear all the protest that clouded the lab, she only thought about one thing.

Tommy.

No…

With her luck lately, she positively, definitely, completely, utterly sure that she would get him as her partner. Yeah, that's right.

" Silence!" Mr. Simon lifted his hand. " we talked about it last year and you all agreed. So, now listen for your name and your partner's. I won't repeat myself,"

_Please, God, don't. Just don't let him be my partner. _Kim silently prayed as her panic mounted.

" Cranston, Skullovitch," Kim was too anxious to register that Billy was partnered with Skull. What a pair. Mr. Simon definitely made a change here.

" Scott, Auckland," Jason and Suze.

" Taylor, Kwan," Trini and Zack! Was there any justice left in this world?

" Hart, McKenzie,"

See? Tommy. Definitely him. Why did this happen to-… wait. Kim braved herself to open her eyes. McKenzie. Aarone. Oh God! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

" ah, no, sorry. McKenzie, Bulkmeier," Mr. Simon brought the paper closer to his eyes.

What? A very sharp pin burst her bubble pitilessly. She looked at her teacher in horror.

" Hart, _Oliver_,"

That's it. The end. Game over. She knew this gonna happen. She knew it, she knew it!

"…, Harrison, Turner. That's all," Mr. Simon put the paper back on his desk. " is there anybody hasn't got a partner yet?" seeing that everybody has paired, he said. " okay, now I want you to sit with your new partner before I tell you your new project. Quick, quick, quick,"

Kim swallowed a lump in her throat. Her feet refused to cooperate.

" Hey, Hart. Do you want me to move or what?" the voice of Tommy Oliver asked and she reluctantly turned around.

" It's up to you," Kim said, finally finding her ability to speak. "maybe you should move here,"

Tommy got up, collecting his books and dropped them to now his and Kim's table for the rest of the semester. Kim eyed him inquisitively. He didn't seem to be as bothered as her. That or he really was a good actor.

" Your new project is a research about any disease that's caused by virus. You can choose any disease you think you can do the best. There may be two groups or more that study the same illness. The most important thing is the final result, which I'm sure would be varied. This is an easy one so I hope I can give out some A's. Collect the report two weeks from today. Now you may discuss it with your partner while we're waiting for the bell,"

Mr. Simon sat behind his desk and started flipping through a thick encyclopedia. Kim looked down at her fingernails for a while, her mind was a mile away. She still hadn't wanted to accept the cruelty of fate.

Two minutes passed and Tommy hadn't said a single word to her. Kim was never a type of person who could stand an uncomfortable silence. Fine. Truce then.

" So," she composed herself to face Tommy. " what do you want to do? Any suggestions?"

" It's up to you," he said simply, still staring at the book in front of him.

" Look, like it or not, Mister, we're partners. And don't think that you're the only one who is annoyed by this," Kim didn't care anymore. Someone between them must keep _her_ head cold if they wanted to survive. It's still a long, long journey until the end of the semester.

" How do you know that I'm annoyed by you?" this one tempted Kim to land a hard punch on that face. Still, she inhaled a deep breath of airand said,

" Do you know something? You're being ridiculous here! I am the victim, I am the one that you, that you…_violated_. You have no right to act like this to me," she said right to the point.

Tommy sighed. What with this childish attitude, Oliver? He knew that Kim was supposed to be in this class. Jason and the others talked about it when she didn't show up. So he prepared himself. When she came…she _bumped_ right into him. Fair is fair.

" Just, just let's get this over with okay?" Tommy said in a bold voice. " how do you want to do this? Your house, my house, the youth center?"

Her house? His house? Please! " The youth center will be perfect. Or how about the library? It's easier if we have to look up information that might be needed," she said casually.

For a while the world war III had been averted.

_Meanwhile..._

" Look," Zack elbowed Trini and she raised her head from the worksheet. " look at them,"

What Zack wanted her to see was the sight of Tommy and Kimberly. They're talking but the atmosphere between them seemed to be rather 'hot'. Kim was frowning and her fist clenched tightly. He couldn't see Tommy's face but his feet tapping the floor impatiently.

" What about them?" Trini asked carefully.

" Don't they look like they're… arguing?"

" Maybe Kim wants to go with AIDS while he prefers influenza," Trini tried to answer as natural as she could muster, but as always Zack could detect if something was off.

" Come on! It's so obvious!" Zack insisted, not tearing his eyes from the pair in table number six.

" Zack, you're imagini-,"

" Hi guys, what's up?" a third voice joined the conversation and Trini rolled her eyes. Jason and Zack combination was not something good. Especially Jason, he always knew if someone was lying and Trini wasn't the best person to do that, which made thing much worse. Kim would kill her if she told them.

" Jase, look at Tommy and Kim," Zack said, nodding at Tommy and Kim's direction.

" They look… serious," Jason murmured, exchanging glances with Trini who secretly releasing a deep breath of relief.

" They look _over_ serious!" Zack persisted.

" You're being nosy, Zack. Like my grandmother. Whatever they do is none of our business," Trini said, hoping he would just drop the topic of the table.

It's a shame that Kim unwittingly chose the time to slam her textbook on the table. Almost instantly all activites stopped and every pair of eyes moved to her. Including Mr. Simon's.

" Ha! I knew it!" Zack looked at Trini and Jason with bravado.

Jason was taken a back. The sweet, innocent Kimberly did that was just, not right.

" Any problem, Kimberly?" Mr. Simon queried, his face was far from pleased.

" No, sir. I'm sorry. There's a fly and I just tried to kill it," Kim answered tightly and the class broke into laughters. But the teacher was not smiling, nor did Tommy and Trini.

_Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…………………_

Saved by the bell!

Mr. Simon's eyes perched at Kim for a long moment before he returned to his desk and closed his book. "That's the bell, class. Don't forget your project. Good afternoon," one by one the students began to leave the lab.

" Now it's grilling time," Zack slipped off his chair.

" She's not trying to kill a fly, wasn't she?" Jason asked Trini quietly, watching Kim collect all her stuff and storm out of the room, clearly furious at something other than a fly.

" Why don't you talk to Tommy, I'll go get Kim," Trini shot Billy, who just joined them, a smile and patted Jason's arm.

" Care to explain?" Billy asked.

* * *

**Yay! The longest chapter I've ever written! Hope you like this one, and please review, review, review! They encourage me to write! But as always, NO flame! Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter. Snapshots of Time chapter 7 will be up very, very soon. **

**- Yuuri**


	5. F for Feelings

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing, just characters and places that are not in Power Rangers universe.**

**: Thank you for the wonderful reviews: ) I'm very happy to know that you enjoy this story. Here is the fifth chapter, Enjoy !**

* * *

**Chapter Five: F for Feelings**

Tommy rolled on his bed, burrowing his face into the pillow. Zack was wrong. So wrong. How could he initiate something like that in the first place?

" _Hey, Tommy man, what happened?" Zack asked, taking a seat in front of him. _

" _Nothing," he said simply. _

" _Then why did Kim look like she wanted to slam that textbook at your face? But of course, it's so not lady-like, so she used the table instead of your handsome face," Zack spoke again. His eyes shining with highly amusement._

_It began innocent enough. He was no master at Biology so he let Kim decide what disease they would do. AIDS. Cool. Everything was fine until she started asking questions. _

" _So, Tommy, how's your school back in Texas?" she inquired, her fingers absently drew an imaginary circle on the table._

_That was a starter. He answered them without giving too much information. But damn, did it hard. She's trying to be nice at him and somehow Tommy found it intimidating. A lot. _

_Then here came yet another question. " So I heard from Jason that you're into martial art, right? Too bad you didn't come two weeks earlier. There's this karate expo in town and of course, you could participate. Jason did and he-,"_

" _Look, Kimberly," he heard himself saying. He turned his head slightly to look at her smiling face. " could you, shut up?" _

_Then it happened. She blew up like a volcano, sending him and the entire class to a full silence mode. He was astonished. He didn't think she would actually do something like that in the middle of the class, but well, she did. _

_The next thing was, Jason and Zack came over and interrogating him like he's somekind of a criminal, which in someway, he thought he was. _

" _She asked questions and I got upset. That's all," _

" _Boy, you're lucky she didn't land that book on your face. Look at this!" Zack lifted up the 5cm thick textbook. " and hardcover too,"_

" _Tommy, you two have known each other before today. How that happened?" Jason brought the topic Tommy hoped nobody would ask. Studying Jason and Zack's faces, it was apparent that Kim didn't tell them about the incident yesterday._

_He had no intention to tell them. At all. But he found himself opened his mouth and words flew out, forming a perfect, complete story about how their files were switched until the time he gave Ms. Monique Kim's file. _

_Seeing at Jason and Zack's eyes, he felt like he can trust them. No. he knew he could trust Jason and Zack. He really could use some help right now because he too was oblivious why he seemed couldn't control his emotion everytime Kimberly Hart was around. _

" _Why you didn't tell us about the file?" Jason asked, crossing his arms over his chest. This was his little sister they're talking about. A little mistake almost ended up fatal. She might be not being in the contest because of Tommy. _

" _I didn't know at that time what it was," Tommy felt the need to defend himself. " and you're not asking, in case you forget," _

_Zack felt the situation getting intense and he quickly changed the topic. " Cool. At least you're sane enough to give it to Ms. Monique,"_

" _That's only because I met him," Jason said darkly. _

" _I didn't know, okay," then Tommy's eyes drifted to the floor. " I'm sorry," he didn't even say the words to Kim, the person he knew deserved the apology. _

" _So, now you're getting all crazy about Kim. What with that? She just asked you where you live, that kind of stuff that I and probably every people you meet here will ask you," Jason said, his knuckles knocking the surface of the table impatiently._

_That was a very good question, Tommy wanted to say. Why?_

" _I know," Zack piped up. " you like her," he grinned at Jason. " he like her,"_

He liked her. **Like**. Zack said that he liked her so that he treated her like that.

Come on! Be rational here. If he **liked** her, why would he treat her like she's not more than garbage?

" _There's a type of people, you know Tommy, who has difficulties in expressing their feelings. You might be one of them," Zack nodded with satisfaction._

_He couldn't believe that Zack really did say that to him. Tommy looked at Jason for help, but only getting a shrug._

" _He could be right, bro," _

Now the weight on his shoulders doubled, thanks to Zack who's so kindly told him all that crap. He couldn't be right, right?

Liked her? What're there to be liked about her?

First, he knew so many girls who in fact were much taller than Kimberly. Ouch.

Second, he accidentally saw in the cafetaria this afternoon that Kim actually ate a full plate of chilly with red pepper. That red, disgusting vegetable on it. That's just totally gross.

Third, she used jasmine shampoo. Tommy was allergy at that flower. He figured that out because when she stumbled at him, the scent that in the different situation could make him dizzy in one blink of eye was practically-.

Wait. What the hell he was doing? Oh God. He actually noticed _all_ that about a girl who could elevate his temper everytime he saw her.

This was not right. So not right. Yeah, he's thinking like this because Zack poisoned his mind. It had nothing to do with **_feelings_**.

_: Trini and Kimberly:_

" Trini... I hate him. Really, really hate him," Kim nearly whined into the phone. "that unreasonable jerk,"

" _Geez, Kim. You use that word a lot lately, don't you,"_ Trini chuckled.

" You blame me?"

Teasing a very pissed Kimberly was never a wise thing to do. " _No_,"

" Good," Kim pressed her back against the headboard of her bed, sighing. After ten peaceful seconds, Kim felt her anger rising again. " You know, I asked him about whatever a normal person would ask! And he answered just with one syllable. Two top. I'm talking like a parrot and he didn't even-, gosh!" her left hand hugged her stuffed animal closer to her chest. " I totally made fun of myself. It's not like I asked him if he already had a girlfriend or not, now that was totally out of line and I won't complain if he told me to shut up,"

Kim breathed harshly, supressing her anger. In the same time, Trini cocked her eyebrows with pure curiosity while Kim's still babbling and protesting about the tragedy in biology lab.

" Hold on," Kim said to Trini when she heard someone knocking at her door. " yeah?"

The door was opened and Kim's mother came in. " Hi, honey,"

" Hi, Mom. Are you going somewhere?" Kim asked, covering the receiver with her hand. Caroline Hart wore a dark blue dress that came all the way down to her ankle. Her hair was curled and pulled up to the top of her head. It was a silly question, Caroline wouldn't dress up like that if she only wanted to buy cherry cokes in Jonny's.

Caroline stepped closer to her daughter's bed and sat in the edge of the fluffy, comfortable bed. " I am. Will you be alright, Kim?"

" Of course I will," Kim assured her mother. " is it a date?" she could swear that her mother was blushing.

" No, just a dinner with an old friend," Caroline said somewhat shyly.

A loud honk cut the mother-daughter night conversation and Caroline got up carefully, her hands smoothed down her dress. " That's must be him. Good night, Kim," she leaned and kissed Kim's head.

" Have fun, Mom," him. So it _was_ a date. Just who was this, _old friend_, Kim didn't have a clue. She waited until her mom closed the door and Kim quickly pulled her hand from the receiver. " Trini! My mom's dating someone!"

" _What? Say it again," _Trini asked.

" My mom. She said she's having a dinner with an old friend. But come on, she's totally on a date!"

" _Well, your mom is an attractive, young woman, Kim_," Trini pointed out gently. When Kim's parent divorced about four years ago, it was a tough moment for Kim. After fighting over and over again, visiting almost dozen of marriage counselors, they finally decided that splitting was the best solution. Darren, Kim's father had moved to Miami once they signed the divorce paper. However he would pop up all of the sudden every three or four months. Despite the divorce, Darren was a good man and Kim loved him dearly.

" I don't need a new guy in my life," Kim mumbled, biting her lips when he heard the sound of a car driving away. " that Tommy Oliver is enough for me,"

Trini smiled and Kim soon realized that her words could be taken more than one way. " That's not what I meant! What I'm trying to say is-,"

" _I understand,"_ Trini generously finished.

" Yeah. That. Good," Kim looked into the mirror and a very red faced Kimberly looked back at her. She's blushing! God!

" Thanks for listening, Trini. I guess, I'll see you at school tomorrow?" Kim said, mentally kicking herself for blushing at something that's so silly.

" _Yeah. Good night, Kim," _

" Night,"

Kim put the phone away and lay back on her mighty comfy bed. What are you thinking, Kimberly?

_:Trini and Zack:_

Almost as soon as Trini put the phone back on the table, it's ringing again. " Hello?"

" _Do you have plans for weekend?"_ Zack asked, not even returning her greeting.

" Wow, slow down. Weekend? Why you asked?"

" _How about we go to that island. What it's called? Covenant Island? Weird name. I never went there before, so did Jason and Billy. What'd you say?" _

" Well, how are going to go there?" Trini walked to her desk and put back her books back to the shelf.

" _There's a ferry from Angel Coast. I just know that actually. My Dad told me," _

" What's exactly there in that island?" Trini plopped down on her bed. Zack had gained half of her interest.

" _Not much. But my Dad said that the beach is beautiful, and there're like small shops… it has a nice view, so maybe we can have a picnic there,_" the fact that the idea came from Zack tickled Trini to no end.

" Sounds nice," Zack was the sweet talker alright, but somehow it didn't feel right to have him holding this… trip. " Zack, why don't you tell me what you have in mind. You get something up on your sleeve, don't you?" she asked, a soft smile playing on her lips.

" _What?"_ she could picture Zack pacing on his room, panic striking him with her question.

" Nevermind,"

" _I thought this might be a good chance for Tommy to get a good look at Angel Grove and its surrounding," _

" Of course," Trini complied, stiffling her laugh. She had this feeling that Zack was playing cupid here. Who were the persons was no longer an issue. At least not after Kim's slipped of words just now and of course with the thing happened this afternoon... Zack had a very good instinct. Although it seemed to Trini that whatever Kim and Tommy's experiencing right now was so far from something called 'love'. They hated each other. Or so they admitted." so, Tommy comes too?"

" _I haven't ask him," _

" How about Kim? Have you told her about this?"

" _I was thinking maybe you can talk to her? She'll listen to you,"_

The feeling that Kim would say NO as soon as she knew that Tommy was tagging along was so strong, but still, Trini answered, " Yeah, maybe she will,"

" _Cool. Night, Trini,"_

" Night Zack," Trini pushed the off button and sighed. What game did he have in mind this time?

* * *

**: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave me your review, let me know what you think. NO flame! See you soon in the next chapter!**

**- Yuuri**


	6. Beware what you wish for

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing. But the characters or places that aren't Power Rangers related are mine.**

**: Thank you for your reviews! This is the sixth chapter. It's a long one, longer than before. Enjoy !**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Beware what you wish for**

_The Youth Center_

" Come on, Kim! It'll be fun. I'll be there, so is Jason and Zack and Billy. You have four of your bestfriends to get your back," Trini said, for the fifth time that day trying to convince the very hesitant Kimberly. Tomorrow was the day and the petite brunette still hadn't say anything about the trip.

Kim took the pink towel from her bag and wiped her slighlty sweaty face from the beam routine she just had. She turned to face the taller Asian girl. " Trini, in case you didn't notice before, I was trying as mush as possible not to be in one room with him," Kim didn't need to say the name, Trini knew who was the _him_ she said. " I avoid him in school, before school and after school. Now you tell me to go on this trip where I will be isolated in this island with the last person I want to see right now. You tell me, am I crazy if I don't want to go?"

Trini sighed. She had sensed this coming since Zack called her three days ago. She had been hoping that maybe somehow, anyhow, Kim and Tommy could make peace and just forget about anything that had happened. Except both of them were very stubborn and peace was far from their minds right now.

She couldn't ask for the three boys' advises since Kimberly still didn't want her to tell them about the hit and run incident that seemed happened like ten decade ago. It's hard to believe that actually it just happened not until a week ago. How she would explain to the boys without telling them the main reason of Kim's weird behaviour lately? Plus, Trini was not good at lying.

" Hey girls," Jason came over and Kim was on alert almost immediately. Her eyes scanned the place for Tommy Oliver and she pouted once she saw him sitting in the usual table with Zack and Billy.

" Hi Jase,"

Kim only nodded her head. She lifted her body to the beam and sat there with her back to the rest of her friends on the table.

" Still haven't changed your mind, Kim?"

" I told you, my aunt will come with my niece. It won't be polite if I'm not there to see her, we haven't met for so long," Kim reasoned, after a short silence. The same version she told Ms. Monique.

Jason snickered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. " Come on. We all know that's a total bull,"

" It's true!" Kim pushed a strand of hair off her face. Of course, she wouldn't expect that Jason would accept it easily, but hey, a girl could try, right?

" Even Tommy has agreed, though he was just as stern as you are," Jason informed, smiling when Kim scoffed. " it's just a file, for God's sake! Okay, it's not _just_ a file but you're being silly. Just let it go,"

The word 'file' that flew out from Jason's mouth snapped Kim and she lifted her head " Trini!"

" I didn't!"

" You promised!"

" Girls!" Jason stepped in before they continued arguing. To Kim he said solemnly," Trini didn't say anything. I found out myself,"

" How?" Trini inquired automatically.

" _He_ told you?" Kim asked in disbelief. If Jason didn't hear it from her than the most possible person is non other that Tommy Oliver himself.

" Uh huh. So, what do you say, Kim? Are you in, or are you out?" Jason's expression was so serious that Kim managed to crack a small smile.

" If Kim's not coming, so am I," Trini said quickly, inviting a massive groan from the martial artist. Kim rolled her eyes.

" If Trini doesn't go, then Billy will too, then Zack and so on," Jason looked up at the pony tailed gymnast. Her mouth twitched slightly and the frown across her feature told him that she was reconsidering the offer.

" Fine," Kim hopped down from the beam. After a moment's pause added, " if anything happens tomorrow, I'll kill you both,"

Jason gave Trini a high-five and he shouted to the table. " It's cool, guys!"

Kim glanced at Tommy's direction, noticing that he didn't look as enthusiast as Billy and Zack. She couldn't say that she blamed him. The idea didn't thrill her at the slightest.

" I give you my word, Kim," Jason drapped his arm around Kim's shoulder while they're walking to their table and murmured, " if he messes with my little sister, he'll be sorry,"

" We'll see, Jase. We'll see,"

_Angel Dock, the next day_

" Oh…I'm so exciting!" Zack rubbed his hands together giddily. They were waiting for the ferry that would take them to the Covenant Island with some others people.

Jason grinned, knowing exactly what the he meant. Zack'd been talking about this trip since his Dad mentioned the place. Though Jason wasn't sure if Tommy and of course, Kim, would be pleased if they found out the real reason behind this whole picnic thing.

" _You play with fire, Zack," Jason said when Zack phoned him with the news._

" _No, I don't, so I won't get burnt in the end," finished Zack. _

" _You don't know for sure if Tommy likes Kim," _

" _True, but I do know that I don't like my friends fighting like this," Even though they just knew Tommy for a short time, but he blended quickly and soon became one of the scooby gang. _

" _Kim would hunt you down if she knows and probably breaks that dancer legs you have," Jason chuckled. _

" _Face it, man, they don't want to be in the same place together. If Tommy's with us, then Kim's missing, and vice versa. We can't keep on like this," _

" _And Tommy will knock you flat on your back," Jason continued with great amusement. " what'll you do after all?"_

" _Nothing. The sun, the sea and the sky would do their magic. Just cross our fingers, 'K?"_

" Here come Trini and Kimberly," Billy waved at the two girls. " they look like they could use some hands,"

There's a big picnic bag on each Trini and Kim's hand. Kim went to Trini's house early this morning to prepare the meal. Kim did her job half heartedly, so if there're clutter sandwiches, they were hers. It tempted Kim so much to put lots and lots of pepper. Who knew, maybe Tommy would accidentally take it and…

Tommy looked up and his eyes met with Kim's. He did refuse to come when Jason asked him the other day, the reason why was obvious. He silently regretted his decision to tell Jason and Zack his story. They knew instantly why he didn't want to go and of course, they tried so hard to convince him that Tommy said yes.

" _Oh, alright, alright," Tommy was a new guy in here and Kim was their friends since they're so little. They could easily take side, but they didn't instead. They accepted him to their group. That was… touching. Tommy couldn't say that he had many friends back there in Texas._

Zack took a peek at Trini's picnic bag and get shoved gently. " No peeking,"

" It doesn't take too long to get there, right?" Kim asked Billy warily. The wind played with her caramel tresses.

" According to the distance, it won't take more than 45 minutes," Billy smiled, keeping his hands on his jeans pocket.

Tommy glanced at Kim's now pale face. Standing beside Jason and Billy, she looked so small. Yeah, he really knew many girls who were much taller than her.

Zack words practically echoed in his ears.

" _You like her…. There's a type of person who has difficulties in expressing their feelings…,"_

" Oh, bullshit," he muttered with greeted teeth.

_The journey to Covenant Island_

" Oh, shit," Kim mumbled, her hand covering her mouth. They just departed about six minutes ago and based on Billy's calculation, there's still thirty nine minutes to go until the ferry reached their destination. Taking ferries was never her number one option to travel. She loved the ocean alright, but the seasick was too much to take.

" Are you okay, Kim?" Trini moved her hand up and down Kim's back.

" I will be as soon as we get there," Kim answered, leaning against the railing. She inhaled the fresh morning air, hoping it would do her some good but nonetheless found it useless.

" Is she alright?" Tommy asked Jason from their place in the deck. Kim had pulled her hair to a pony tail and her face was undoubtly purple. Now the paleness he'd seen before they left the dock was starting to make sense. David had a major seasick everytime he was on board. There's this time when Tommy was five and David was eight and their parents took them on a cruise. When everybody was busy in the pool, the shopping center or the casino, poor David Brian Oliver was stuck on his bed.

Jason took a quick glimpse at Kim before returning his gaze back to the martial arts magazine he was reading. "Yeah, travelling by the sea isn't the best for her,"

Tommy fixed his eyes at the island that looked closer and closer by the minute. From the information Billy filled him in, he knew that the island had about forty people population in it. The place was a nice spot to have a quiet and calm leisure time.

" Tommy, I want to say something," Jason closed the mag and slipped it under his arm.

" Shoot,"

" Once we're there, I hope you and Kim can work things on," said Jason. " you two are my friends and I don't like to see you fighting like a cat and dog,"

" You don't have to bring me to that island just to work things on with Kimberly," Tommy used Jason's expression. He could understand how awkward Jason's position was with this problem Kim and he's having. The thing was, everytime he opened his mouth and talked to Kim, his temper would slowly rise and they would end up fighting again. Today the war hadn't begun because they hadn't said anything towards each other, not even a simple hello.

Jason laughed. " We're here to have a good time. Okay, Tommy?"

" I'm not promising anything,"

Jason cocked his eyebrows.

" Okay,"

_The Covenant Island_

The island was just like Kim had imagined before. The beach was nice, rather similar with their beach in Angel Grove but this was much nicer. The air was different. Kim felt more… peaceful, to say the least. Once she got out off the ferry, she felt much more better than ever. This was a perfect place and she wouldn't let Tommy ruined this day.

" This place is great," Jason said.

" It's okay," Zack agreed.

Just like any typical beaches, this one had palm trees, a cozy little café near the beach that played a nice, instrumental song. The beach wasn't so crowded, in fact there were only like fifteen people around. Sun bathing or just simply sitting under the umbrella and reading with a few others swimming in the sea.

" Nice… I never knew we have place like this before. It's so close to Angel Grove," Trini murmured in appreciative tone. " such a threat for Angel Coast,"

" Well, I'll say, for a forty five minute of torture," Kim mumbled, recalling the effect of the ferry's commotion that went straight to her stomach.

" So, what do we do right now?" asked Billy. The girls had taken the big blanket Jason brought and strecth it out. The bags were gathered in one side while the cooler and the picnic bags were put under the big palm tree. Trini slipped off her flip flops and put them in each side of the blanket so the wind wouldn't flip it over.

" How about we go hit the water?" Tommy suggested after he set up the big blue umbrella. It had been a while since he really had a real swim in the ocean and the weather was just fantastic.

" Cool!" Zack kicked his shoes eagerly.

" You guys go ahead. Me and Trini will explore first," Kim said, dropping her sack next to the cooler.

" Are you sure? The water's perfect!" Jason started stripping his clothes, leaving him in only his black trunk.

" Oh yeah, we're sure," Trini nodded, linking her arm with Kim's. " have fun,"

The girls began walking and Kim stopped to shout at Zack," Zack, beware of the sharks!" she giggled.

" Oh man! She really has to say that!" the boy growled.

" Am I missing something?" Tommy quired at the laughing Billy and Jason.

" Zack has a thing for sharks," Jason explained with a grin.

" Hey! Jaws is very scary," Zack remarked, glaring at Tommy who was laughing at him. " imagine that animal swimming right under you when you're there! In the water! It will slowly-,"

" Okay, okay. No need to continue," Billy raised his arm. " we all _watched_ the movie," he gave the word a little pressure.

" _I_ watched it too! That's why I can tell you that-,"

" ENOUGH!" Tommy and Jason yelled in unison. " come on,"

* * *

" Look at this, Trini!" Kim carefully took a palm sized shell from the shelf of the shop they found not far from the shore. The shell had a soft purple-pink color. " it's beautiful!"

" It is," Trini moved closer to Kim and got a better look. The shell was indeed very pretty. Especially for Kim who adored the color so much." You wanna buy it? It's only a dollar,"

Kim put the shell over her ear and closed her eyes. " You can hear the ocean. The waves…,"

Trini swallowed her smile. " Kim, we are in the beach. So the sound you heard was probably-,"

" Oh, you so don't have an imagination!" Kim protested mockingly but didn't put the shell back. " I think I'll buy it,"

After Kim paid for her shell, they carried on their journey back to the shore.

" This place has motels too," Trini said when they were passing a medium sized house. There's a board with the words ' Cove Motel' on it.

" Yeah, the Palm Inn," Kim read the name of one of the motels they walked passed by. The small neighbourhood had mostly similar type of housing. It's simple with orange painted roof. It was kind of hard to tell apart the inns from the ordinary living houses.

" What do they do for a living?" Trini asked when they're descending the stone steps that led them straight to the beach.

" Fishing, I think," Kim shrugged, her hands idly playing with the shell. " or they work at the city. Angel Grove. The ferry can take them every morning and send them home in the evening,"

Kim shoved her shell inside her bag and turned to see the boys. They seemed to have a good time. Jason and Zack were in the middle of a water combat, splashing and trying to dunk each other. She smiled. They looked pretty silly for highschool students.

" Billy, what are you doing?" Trini put her hands on her hip. Billy looked up from his book and smiled sheepishly as if Trini was busted him stealing candy.

Billy was laying down on the blanket, using his bag as a pillow. His glasses were on and there's a thick book Kim had seen him reading since last week. His hair was dry, so were his bare chest and his trunks.

" Reading?"

" Oh, come on, Billy! We go here to have fun!" Trini grabbed the book from his hand and looked at the cover. _Dark Matter, Do They Exist?_ Kim peered over Trini's shoulder and cringed when she saw the title. It sounded even worst than the previous one, the book that he proudly claimed as the best book ever. Something to do about theory quantum. Or was it Einstein?

" You got to be kidding me," Kim shook her head weakly. " why don't we start with what we all know _is_ exist? For example, this beautiful beach, those palm trees, the sand, the sun… everything! Now get up,"

With Trini's help, Billy stood on his feet under one second. Trini had discarded her shirt and her jeans shorts and now standing in her pale yellow swimsuit. She took Billy's hand and dragged him to join the others. Kim smiled at the sight.

Kim tugged at the hem of her pink top and slided it over her head, revealing her purple one-piece swimsuit underneath. She kneeled in front of her bag, looking for a hairband. Suddenly a shadow blocked the sun rays and she turned her head impetuously.

First she saw a pair of legs in grey trunks. Then her eyes traveled north to see a perfect tan abs and a broad heaving chest of… Tommy Oliver. He was hovering over her. His body was all wet, _duh, of course_, and his long brown hair plastered to his shoulders.

She hated him. She tried no to stare. She really did. But she found herself difficult to redirect her eyes to other places.

" What?" his deep voice startled her. What the hell she was doing? She quickly looked down and dugging back into her sack.

" Nothing," her face was hot and she knew she got to be blushing. Well, she had been caught staring at her greatest enemy, by the person himself. It's so embarrassing! She found what she's looking for and stood up, pulling her hair up to a ponytail.

Then she felt it. Him. Staring at her. All of the sudden embarrassment enfolded her. It's not like she'd never been seen by a guy in her swimming suit. _Kimmie, Kimberly Hart… watch that thought!_

She collected herself and turned her head. He _was_ staring. " What?"

And just like she did a minute ago, he shrugged and went," Nothing,"

The first two words they said to each other that day. She better go before he opened his mouth and the unavoidable would occur. They'd start to fight and this day was far too good to be spent by it.

_The afternoon_

The day went by by a lot of swimmings and a lot of fun. After a little tour at the Island, they were back to the beach and began eating. The afternoon went without interruption, well almost. Tommy took a more than slightly cluttered sandwich that made him snicker.

" Is this safe?" Tommy lifted the chicken sandwich, aiming the question straight to the brunette. He smiled. Ruefully, but still, he's smiling.

" Uh oh… I'm telling you, he's crazy," Jason whispered to Zack, feeling a little bit concern about what would happen next. Kimberly could be a little sensitive sometimes. Particularly when she was on the brink of losing it.

Before anybody could say anything, Kim threw Tommy an apple, served him right on the head. Fortunately, Zack was able to hold back his laugh at the last minute or he would get himself an apple as well. Kimberly Hart's special delivery.

" What was that for?" Tommy picked up the fruit and grasped it tightly. Kim who was sitting across him smirked.

" For shuting your mouth," she retorted back. Anger throbbed in her voice.

" Okay, it's enough!" Jason grabbed Tommy's hand. He's very certain Tommy would have no doubt of throwing it back at Kim. And the war would be starting before you know it." You're not little kids anymore so please, don't act like one,"

Tommy glared at Kim, receiving an equally fuming glare in return.

" Kim put everything she has to make the sandwiches," Trini quickly covered. She put a comforting hand on Kim's shoulder. " right, Kim?"

" Tommy, you promised," Jason's voice was audible for Tommy only.

" He started it," Kim said with all dignity she could muster. _How dare he!_ It took all of her strength not to throw the first thing she saw at Tommy. Maybe it would knock some sense into that head.

" Tommy's only joking. Right, Tommy?" Zack elbowed him hard enough for him to forget about his ego and nodded, hissing quietly from the jab.

" Yes, I was kidding,"

_**Of course** you were kidding, Tommy dear. _At that pointKim had completely lost her appetite.

" We better hurry, the next ferry will be off fifteen minutes more," Billy eyed his watch, trying to lighten up the mood.

" Too bad the day has to end," Trini sighed, looking heavenward. Where it was blue and clear when they arrived, now the sky was full with grey clouds. The wind had been starting to pick up too.

"Oh yeah, it's too bad we have to leave now. When things are starting to get interesting," Kim responded sardonically.

" It looks like it's going to rain," Zack said, shooting a 'don't-start' look at Kim who went 'who-me?' innocently.

When Zack had finished the last sandwich, everybody began to get up, unfolding the blanket and dumped the trashes away. Billy picked up the cooler and Tommy got the umbrella. Kim took her sack and said to Jason,

" Jase, I need to go to the restroom,"

" Do you want me to accompany you, Kim?" Trini gently asked from her place beside Billy. Her hair was still slightly wet but she had changed back into her T-shirt and shorts.

" No, I'll be right back," with that said, Kim left.

_Ten minutes later_

" Where is she? She's been gone for nearly eight minutes," Zack said impatiently. He looked through the not so crowded beach, looking for the small gymnast for the thousandth times.

" There she is!" Trini pointed out her finger. Kimberly was running down the stone steps and in no time, she was joining them. Strands of hair flew out from her pony tail. Kim held her chest, adjusting her breath to normal.

" We're about to go without you, Kimberly," Billy patted her back.

" Thank God you're not,"

About two minutes later, people started to board the ferry. It wasn't the same boat that took them this morning. This one was painted in all bright yellow color. It's really eye catching.

" Trini, I can't find it!" Kim said, getting all panic. Her hands rummaging through her white sack.

The Asian girl leaned over, pulling her hair to the back of her ear. " Find what?"

Kim was too busy to answer. Where is it? It's there. She put it right there. But now it's missing! Then she remembered. " Oh God! I left it in the restroom!" she zipped back her sack, turning and dashed off into the dock.

" Kimberly!" Trini shouted.

Tommy was walking towards the guys when a pink bundle run passed him, nearly tackling him down.

_Kimberly?_

" Oh Tommy! Kim!" Trini run to him hastily, clutching his shirt tightly.

" What about her?"

" I'm not sure, but she said something about leaving her thing in the restroom," Trini trailed off. " the ferry is leaving but she just-,"

" I'll go get her. You stay here, okay?" Tommy grasped her shoulders. She gave him a nod.

" Yeah, I'll tell Jason and the others. Just quick!"

_The Covenant Island_

" Oh, so there you are!" Kim's shell was right in the place where she thought she had left it. She put it on the sink when she's looking for her hankie and forgot to take it back.

" Kimberly!"

She didn't want to hear that voice, especially not HERE. But it's him. She couldn't believe his eyes. " What are you doing here? Can't you read? It said 'Ladies Room', not, umph-,"

Tommy acted as if he didn't hear a word she said. He stormed in and grabbed her hand.

" What are you doing?" Using her free hand, she smacked his arm. " let me go!"

Tommy's not answering, not releasing his grip as well. He practically dragged her out of the lavatory. Tommy secretly grateful that Kim was the only person in there, or else…

" You! Slow down a bit!" Between her slightly opened bag that had slided off her shoulder and Tommy's firm grip on her hand, it's difficult to maintain her balance. As a petite girl, it's just natural that she didn't own a pair of long legs that could balance Tommy's wide steps. She couldn't follow him and tripped over a big rock, landing right on her knees. " Tommy! Stop!"

Without her asking him to, Tommy stopped once he felt a jerk on his arm. He swirled around.

" Oh, finally!" Kim pulled her hand roughly and lifted herself up. She cringed when a pain sting her knee.

" Are you okay?" Tommy walked closer.

" Do I look like I am okay?" she shot back, her voice wavering. " what are you doing? Coming to a ladies room and dragging me like that. Has somebody ever told you that you're crazy?"" she stepped forward and hissed. Looking down, she found her right knee was bleeding.

" The ferry is leaving soon," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck. " and you suddenly left like that…,"

Kim pierced her eyes at him and tried to walk, stopping when the cut caused her to wince once more. It located right in the middle of her knee so that everytime she bended her leg, it stung.

" What are you doing?" Kim yelped when out of the blue, the long haired guy knelt before her and drawing her leg closer.

" Don't move," he demanded firmly. Tommy pulled out his mineral bottle from his bag, unscrewing the plastic fastener and poured its content right on the cut.

Kim hissed, but found herself quite dumbfounded by him. Then he fished his hanky from his shorts pocket.

" I'm okay," Kim felt over slightly uneased by the situation. " it's only a stupid scratch, you don't need to-," his firm gaze silenced her and she shut her mouth up.

He tied the black cloth around her knee then stood up. " Come on,"

" What are you doing?" it's the _fourth_ time she asked him the question. He just so unbelievable. Her eyes went saucer when he turned around, once again kneeling in front of her.

" The ferry doesn't wait for you, you know. Hurry up!"

Kim hesitated. Did he really offer to _carry_ her? Maybe the apple she threw back then caused a fatal brain damage at him? She couldn't accept it, right? Come on! Being carried by **him**?

Think. If she refused, she had to walk back to the dock and that was a very very long journey. For someone who just hurt her knee. Okay, so it's just a tiny scratch. But it didn't mean it's not hurt.

Oh, whatever.

She stepped forward and put her hands on his shoulder. Was it just her or his muscles went taut when she touched him?

" Hurry," Tommy said impatiently.

Kim decided to just hell with it and leaned over. He slided his arms under her knees and got up when she had been planted securely on his back.

Today was a real nightmare. He helped her with her leg. He carried her. She owed him one. No!

" Come on, faster!" Kim murmured after they'd gone halfway to the dock.

Came his reply, " Oh, be quiet. You think you're so light, huh?"

Her position was so perfect. All she needed to do just to reach out her arms further and strangle his neck.

" Just hurry up!" they reached the beach and Kim wanted to cry when she saw that the ferry had left the dock. Jason, Billy, Trini and Zack all waving at them, shouting something.

" Oh, shit," Tommy swore, speeding up his pace.

" Faster!" Kim shook his shoulder. No. No. No.

When Tommy finally got there, the ferry had already looked like a car, floating in the middle of the ocean.

" Oh, great!"

Tommy's hands slipped from her legs, causing her to literally drop onto the dock with a light thump. She was so desperate that she didn't even care. Not waiting for help, Kim bringing herself up, totally forgot about her knee.

" Ah, you guys missed the ferry, eh?" an old man who was standing near asked. Receiving no answer, he smiled sympathetically. " don't worry, the next ferry will be up at six,"

" Six p.m.?" Tommy dumbly asked.

" Six in the morning, Sonny," he chortled, looking back into the sea.

Kim wanted to die. _Please, somebody, anybody, please kill me! _This couldn't be happening.

She never believed in karma, but guess this was it.

'_Now you tell me to go on this trip where I will be **isolated** in this island with the last person I want to see right now.'_

She got it.

She'd be isolated in this island with the last person she wanted to see.

Tommy Oliver.

_Oh boy…_

* * *

**Review, review, review! Please let me know what you think. As always, NO flame. Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter :)**

**- Yuuri**


	7. We are survivors

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing, just characters and places that aren't PR related.**

**: Thank you for the wonderful reviews, keep them coming! This is the seventh chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter seven: We are Survivors**

****

****

_**The gang minus Tommy **__**and Kimberly**_

" Oh my God, this is so cool!" Zack said giddily, rubbing his hands together.

" So cool, my ass, Zack. This is a tragedy!" Jason shook his head. The island was getting further and further from the line of his vision. His two bestfriend were there.

" How are we going to tell Kim's mother?" Trini asked, her eyebrows furrowed together. " that Kim's stranded in an island with a guy? You know how she could be so skeptical sometimes. She's gonna flip,"

" We have to find a way to inform her the news," Billy added, putting his hand on Trini's shoulder.

Jason snorted mockingly. " Then again, what could happen between those two? I just hope they'll go home in one piece tomorrow. I see a long night for them,"

" Not one day goes by without fighting," Zack whistled. " maybe it's a good thing that they're left alone there, so they can try to learn how to communicate without bashing each other,"

" I doubt it, Zack. I doubt it,"

_**The Covenant Island **_

**_-Tommy and Kimberly_**

Tommy looked blankly at the sun that had started to go behind the shoreline. It's a wonderful sight, even when dark clouds were crowding the sky. It would be perfect if only the situation was different.

After the fact that the ferry had gone without him, _them_, difused thoroughly into his head, they walked back to the beach. This time, he didn't carry her, not even offering. Her leg seemed to get better, or she probably was just too shocked to give a damn care.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Kimberly. She's sitting about three meters from him, stretching the wounded leg while her hands hugged the other one.

This was _great_. Him, Kimberly and the palm trees. What more could a guy ask?

" Now what?" he asked quietly. The beach was almost clear, just a couple who was too enjoy their smooching to realize that the rain would pour soon. Most people gathered in the café that played the same instrumental song. At first, he thought it was soothing, right now he wanted nothing more than to slam it off.

There's a long pause before she answered, like she was thinking whether the words were meant for her or he's just talking to himself, " I still can't believe we're stranded here," _alone. The two of us. This is hell. _She continued the riposte in the privacy of her mind.

" Yeah, like this would happen if you didn't suddenly run like that," he chided her without turning his face." only for a stupid shell,"

" Don't make me hit you," she warned. He knew she was looking at him. Her brown eyes flared with anger and those lips formed a pout. Well, this wasn't the first time they went into an argument so he could as much say that. " and I didn't ask you to go after me. So don't complain,"

" We could make it if only you're not so stubborn," Tommy said strictly.

" Oh! Look who's talking!" Kim scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

" It's true. Your head is harder than a frozen pipe,"

" I can't believe you just said that!" Kim dipped her fist into the sand.

" Believe it," Tommy said plainly. Okay, maybe it was a little bit too much, but he couldn't help it. If Kim didn't leave the ferry, he would be on his way back to Angel Grove and his home, away from her.

_Tommy, don't be such an egoistic bastard. _A voice whispered on the back of his head. _After all, **you** were the one who chose to run after her._

_You like her. He likes her._

No, no, no! That's just… an instinct. Nothing more.

The palm trees swayed lazily, following the rhythm of the wind. The night breeze carresed his face gently.

First thing first, they must get out of here. He brought himself up to his feet and grabbed his duffel bag. Kim watched him questioningly.

He erased their distance in four wide steps and stopped right in front of her, towering over Kim. " Come on," unexpectedly, he reached out his hand to her.

For a while Kim just looked at his hand like she didn't know what to do. His eyes were dark and mysterious, just as usual.

" Oh, whatever," he muttered and leaned down, grabbing her upper arm and pulled her up to her feet, finding no resistance from her.

Kim expected him to release his grip, but he didn't. Her expression must be so blunt that he cocked his eyebrows.

" Your leg, is it still hurt?"

" Ah, er, well, a little," she stammered. What with this sudden changed attitude? Wasn't he the one who just called her as stubborn as a frozen pipe? Well, that's not what he's saying but basically it had the same meaning.

" Can you walk?" Tommy asked, nearly smiling when Kim's eyes went big. It's understandable, he too was surprising himself.

If she said no, would he carry her AGAIN? No, thank you, once was enough. She shrugged and pulled her arm from his hand. " Yes, I can,"

" Good. Let's find someplace to sleep,"

Oh yeah, right. The _angel_ _Tommy_ had made her completely forget about her tragic situation. The earliest ferry was at six in the morning, which meant she had to spend about twelve more hours with him. What she wouldn't give to be at home right now, on her comfy warm bed with a big cup of hot chocolate milk. Even she would tolerate the 45 minute tortures on the ferry.

" Well, I saw some motels when I explored the island,"

" I don't bring much money with me," Tommy said rather awkwardly. " how about you?"

Not answering, Kim zipped up her sack and looked for her purse. She took it out and was distracted by a sudden chuckle. Tommy's.

" What?" she nearly spat.

" Nothing," he replied cheekily.

Kim had figured out herself what'd prompted him to laugh and she was far from pleased. She narrowed her eyes menacingly. " What are you laughing at?"

" Nothing," he repeated but not moving his eyes from Kim's hands. She held a bright pink purse with white polkadots all over it and a big hello kitty in the front.

" So you know, Oliver," Kim waved the purse in front of his face. " this is a birthday present from Jason. Remember him? Your buddy?"

" For your nine year old birthday present?"

" Oh, you really are too much!" Kim swatted his arm.

" Hey!"

" What?" it came out a bit harsher that she'd intended.

" I was kidding!"

" Yeah right," she rolled her eyes.

" Really. Actually it's pretty cute," oh God. What the hell he just said? _Cute_? What did he mean by _cute_? His smile vanished almost right away. " so, you have any money?"

" Ah, yeah," Kim lowered her gaze infinitesimally, wanting to divert her discomfiture to anything else besides the guy standing in front of her. She opened her hello kitty purse and Tommy leaned over. She suddenly found herself difficult to concentrate. He was standing so close to her. The previous image of Tommy in his swimming trunks invaded her mind. Kim pinked.

" So?" he snapped her thought and she quickly focused at the matter on her hands.

" Er… twenty, nope, thirty two dollars,"

" I have about fifteen. Together it's… forty seven. What do you think? Is it enough for a room?"

" Two rooms you meant," she corrected him but his eyes told her he wasn't mistaken. " one room?"

" Face it, Kim. We're lucky if we could get a room with only forty seven dollars," he didn't realize his slipped of tongue until he saw Kim tense. " no! God, that's not what I meant. Not get a room as in _get a room_. You know, rent one?"

" I know, no need to overreacted," She somehow remembered her own slipped of tongue days before. '_That Tommy Oliver is enough for me.' _oh, get a grip, Hart.

She wrapped her arms around her body. The wind blew fiercefully and she only put on a thin cotton shirt and shorts. " I don't think it would cost too much but let's take a look before it starts raining,"

" Yeah, come on,"

**_Beach Wave Inn, room 4_**

" Well, this is…,"

This motel was the last of the three motels existed in this island. The only one that rented out a room for only forty five dollars. And, they couldn't say that the room was all that good.

Room 4 was located in the end of the dark corridor. The room had only one light bulb which gave so little effect to the green painted room. The bed was clearly not new, with bedsheet that Kim thought hadn't ever been washed ever. There's a wardrobe, a table, a chair and a full body length mirror and that's it.

" No bathroom. Can you imagine that?" Kim murmured, stepping into the dark.

" The owner said we can use the one outside, near the stairs," Tommy dropped his bag to the bed. His eyes swept through the room. There wasn't much to be seen actually.

" You don't think there're spiders or cockcroaches here, do you?" Kim asked warily. She strode across the room to open the window. The air in the room was too humid. " it's drizzling,"

Tommy looked at the queen size bed in the middle of the room. He could take one side and she took the other. They could survive this day.

" Ah, look! Daisy!" Kim's shriek got his attention and he lifted his face. On the nightstand there's a blue vase with the white flower in it. The only thing that was _and_ looked alive in this gloomy room. " it's so beautiful! It's a pity it has to be in this… room. If you can call it that. Forty five dollars is still too expensive,"

Tommy didn't answer, instead he dropped his body to the lone chair in front of the table. Kim sighed. Fine, if he didn't want to talk. It's okay. No biggie. Tell her to 'shut up' once more and she would kick his butt to Pluto.

Kim brushed the bedsheet with her hands. She frowned. Was the color grey or was it originally white? She sat on the edge of the bed, leaning her head against the headboard. Kim unwrapped the hankie from her knee. She found that the cut had stopped bleeding and had started bruising just a little. There's a stain of blood in the cloth so she folded it and shoved it into her pocket. Maybe she'd return it after washing it first.

Yeah, she hated him alright but then what? He helped her and got stranded in this island because of her. Returning his hankie clean was the least she could do.

' Gosh, I'm so hungry…,' Kim thought bitterly and as if to emphasize the statement, her stomach let out a loud growl, agreeing all the way with her. She blushed.

Kim grabbed her sack, hoping she would find something to eat. Except her bathing suit, towel, hello kitty purse, handkerchief and her shell, there're four little strawberry candies. Just that.

Well, better than nothing. She took one and popped it into her mouth.

Tommy smiled when he heard Kim's stomach protesting of not being fed. But that just reminded him that he too, was hungry. Famished, actually.

He believed there's something in his bag… ha! He found a so-not-tempting-sandwich squashed between his wallet and his towel. Taking it out, he put it proudly on his lap.

The last candy gone into her mouth and she didn't feel any better. In fact, the candies had succeeded in elevating her hunger into a higher level. The sandwich Tommy 'showed off' was definitely not helping.

Tommy opened the plastic wrapper ever so slowly. He knew she was watching his every movement and he enjoyed every second of it.

Kim glanced away. She wanted to kick something. That guy was doing it on purpose! Jerk. _No Kimmie, you can't get into his… trap. Don't look. Just look at that dirt on the wall. Yeah, focus. _

But boy was it hard. This was probably just her imagination but she faintly could smell the chicken, the mustard…Oh, STOP it, Kimberly!

While her eyes sticked to the wall, she silently cursed Tommy for being such a… jerk.

Tommy swallowed his smile and lifted his hand, ready to have a bite.

Kim's eyes moved uncontrollably back to him. And the sandwich. She was ready to die when all of a sudden her stupid stomach let out another loud growl.

Tommy couldn't help it any longer and he snorted, then laughing vigorously.

" You jerk," Kim grabbed a pillow and threw it to him.

" Hey, hey, careful with the sandwich," the still laughing Tommy caught it swiftly with his left hand and tossed it back to the bed.

She couldn't believe him. He's just so… she couldn't even find the right word to describe Tommy Oliver. That was the second time today he's laughing at her and don't think she would let him get away so easily.

" Huh, so you _can_ laugh. I thought you're like an emotionless guy who likes to see people suffer," she crossed her arms.

" Me?"

" Yeah, you," his smiling only getting wider and wider and she wanted to slap that smirk off his face. Well, but she had to admit that his smile was much better than his usual cold exterior. Yeah, the smile looked nice. He should smile more often.

_Wait, wait, wait. Kimberly Hart, are you losing your mind? Do you realize what you just said?_

" I'm just playing with you," Tommy shrugged, dropping his long legs on the bed and made himself comfortable.

" Play with me? Who do you think you ar-,"

" We can share," he lifted up the half opened sandwich, efectively stopping her babbling. " what are you saying?"

She was tongue tied. Oh, damn this... whatever this was. Kim simply couldn't believe that she succumbed over a sandwich, to Tommy, which made things got more sucks. _This is so lame…_

" Share?"

" If you want to, but if you prefer to let that stomach of yours grumbling all night long, I'm cool with it,"

She pouted. " Sure you are,"

" So?" he could tell she was in a deep dilemma. Receiving his offer meant she lost, but turning it down was not a good option too… especially when her stomach yet again, let out a growl.

" Ha!" Kim pointed her finger to him with highly amusement and now it's turn for him to blush from embarrassment. Okay, so that was him.

" Okay, just make this fast," Tommy took the sandwich and carefully split it into two same size.

Kim reluctantly got up. Oh, this day couldn't get more sucks than it already was, could it?

_**Beach Wave Inn, Room 4. **_

_**- 02.43 a.m.**_

Kim stirred on the bed, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment she was confused. The room was dark, the air was humid and the bed she slept on was lumpy. Where was she? She slowly sat up and rubbed the sleepiness away.

Her leg accidentally kicked someone's leg and she turned her head. The figure of Tommy snapped her eyes open and the memory began to flow back.

Of course. They're stranded. How could she forget?

Tommy moved slightly, mumbling something before going back to sleep. Kim stiffled her laugh. He said something about his mother and 5 minutes again.

They had decided to sleep on the same bed and kept their hands to themselves. Like _she_ would do anything she would regret for the rest of her life.

Kim slipped of the bed and put on her flip flop. The rain was still pouring outside and the sound of the wind sent shivers down her spine. She walked towards the door and opened it.

The darkness that welcomed her was something she didn't expect before. Uh oh… Kim chewed her lower lips and leaned her body over. The corridow was deadly dark and the sound of the rain reminded her of the horror movie Zack had forced her to watch. She couldn't sleep for like three days straight after that.

_' The bathroom is in the end of the corridor, near the stairs,'_ Tommy said. She'd have to walk through this darkness. Alone.

Kim closed the door quitely and turned around, resting her body against the door. She'd made up her mind. Okay, call her a coward or a pimp. She's scared.

She walked to Tommy's side and had almost touched his arm when a thunder struck, making Kim jumped. Her heart thumped faster in her chest. Oh God.

Inhaling a deep breath of air, Kim reached out her hand then stopped. When Tommy's sleeping he looked… harmless. He kept his hair in his pony tail and his arms held the pillow to his chest. Now that she studied his face closer, she could tell that his eyelashes were so long, longer than hers.

Kim was hesitated for a while. Oh, whatever. She had completely lost her face today, one more thing wouldn't change that.

" Tommy," she called out. He didn't even stir.

" Hey, Tommy, wake up," she nudged his arms, shaking his body. He only tightened his grip on his pillow.

" Tommy Oliver," she shook his body with more strength this time. " wake up,"

" Hmm… one more minute, Mom," he mumbled fuzzily.

Kim chuckled. Okay, so let's get down and dirty. " Sorry, mate," she whispered before grasping the edge of his pillow and pulled it out of his embrace.

It worked.

" What the -,"

" Oh, great, Tommy, you're awake!" Kim piped up happily, a slight guilt lacing her voice.

" What are you doing?" he grumbled, frowning deeply and snatched back his pillow. " stay away from me," he lay on his side, his back towards Kim. His light snore told Kim that he had back to the dream island.

" Oh, come on! Tommy, wake up!" Kim sat on the bed and started shaking his arm. " don't sleep,"

After two minutes of whining, Tommy jerked his arm from Kim's grip and sat up. His eyes were red and unfocused. " What do you want, Kimberly?" he yelled.

She smiled nervously. " I need to go to the toilet,"

" Then go already," Tommy lay back and closed his eyes. " don't bother me. I won't be looking for you," he mumbled.

Oh, such a humiliation. She couldn't believe she actually _pleaded_ to him. " I didn't make a report! I'm… go with me… _please_,"

" What?" his voice was muffled.

" Yeah, please?" she would kill Trini and Jason once she went home. They're so, really, utterly dead!

" Oh, God, Kim. It's two in the morning and you wake me up to _escort_ you to the toilet?" he unburied his face from the pillow and glared at her. " you're so unbelievable,"

Okay, so they're both unbelievable people. She could live with that. " Hurry up!"

" Man…," Tommy sat up and Kim moved, giving him room. He stood on his feet and looked at Kim. " yes, please, madam," he made a motion with his hand, telling her to walk first. Kim rolled her eyes and led the way.

In the movie, there's a long haired woman, Mrs. Dominic walked along the similar dark corridor with a candle in her hand. She had been dead for fifty years. Kim shivered and grasped Tommy's white tanktop.

He looked down at her and raised his eyebrows. " Scared?"

Kim ignored his leer and looked forward but not releasing her grip. The woodened floor squeaked along with their steps.

" This place isn't haunted, is it?" she asked silently.

Tommy laughed. As tough as she seemed to be, Kim was still a girl. " I don't know. I think I saw a gravestone when I was-,"

" Stop it!" Kim hit his arm.

He could feel her warm breath on his arm and he smiled. " You must be really really scare that you can stand it to walk this close to me without hitting me or arguing with me,"

" Er… I just hit you like eight seconds ago?"

They stopped in front of the door that was supposed to be the toilet. It was right beside the bathroom and they both were equally dark.

Tommy clicked the switched on, showing them the toilet. It was small and amazingly, was pretty clean. " Do you want me to get in with you?" he asked, looking at her hand that still clucthed his shirt tightly. She reflectively released her grip with a red face.

" Don't go," she said sternly.

" Just hurry, I'm so sleepy," Tommy yawned, stretching his arms. Kim walked in and he leaned back against the wall. It looked like they were the only guests in this inn. Well, no wonder. He was on the verge of sleep when Kim opened the door with a loud bang and she ran out quickly.

" Oh God, oh God! Tommy, there's a cockcroach in there!" she moved behind him, grabbing his arm.

" Kim, it's just a little animal," he clicked off the light. " ready to go back?"

She looked at him with terror in her eyes and nodded. " This place is so nasty. Can you imagine that there's a living-, Tommy!"

The guy turned his head weakly. " Now what?"

" There's, there's something on my back," Kim said in alarm. _Jason is dead. So dead. He will pay._

" Where?" she felt like her feet had been nailed to the floor. Tommy walked around her and whistled. Her heart jumped.

" Take it, take it! Please, take it!"

" Easy does it. It's just a firefly," the glowing bug stuck on Kim's mid back.

" JUST a firefly? Take it! Tommy!" Kim nearly shouted. It was a beautiful bug, but NOT when it was on her back. "Tommy!"

He carefully took it and put it on the wall. " There," he moved forwards and looked down at Kim. Even in the dark, her face was noticeable white. She woke him up at two in morning, so it's okay if he did just a little…" Kim, look out behind you!"

He definitely didn't prepare himself for the next thing coming. Kim shrieked and dashed into his arms, burrowing her face into his chest.

" What? What? Tommy!"

He was surprised. Kim nearly sobbed against his chest. Her hair slightly tickled his nose. He patted her back lightly and disentangled her arms from his waist. " Er, Kim, I was joking,"

What? Joking? He said he was joking? She wanted to punch him so much that it hurt. " You…!"

" Let's get back to the room before the owner wakes up. Man, your scream can wake the dead," he said. A discomforty still lingered. For a moment he thought about what he'd said about Kim being too short. In fact, she fit his arms just perfectly.

She's still glaring at him and walked ahead of him. Seemed rage could overcome her fear. Well, like they said, hells have no fury like woman's scorns.

Kimberly stopped when she'd reached their room and turned to face him.

" What?"

" Thank you," then she opened the door and walked in.

Tommy was silence for a while before following her in. " You're welcome,"

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**Ha! I just love Hello Kitty, I think it's so cute:) Review please, let me know what you think. Your reviews make me very happy. But NO flame. Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter :)**

**- Yuuri**


	8. The calm after and before the storm

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing, just characters or places that aren't PR related.**

**: Thanks for everyone who has reviewed! This is the new one, hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter Eight: The calm after _and_ before the storm**

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**The Youth Center**

**The afternoon after Tommy and Kim returned**

" Oh my God!" Zack laughed until his stomach hurt and tears started to flow down his cheeks. " so let me get this straight. You dragged him to go with you to the toilet and you dashed straight into his arms? Looks like you got cozy with him!"

Kim glared at her friend, wanting to kick his leg if only he wasn't out of reach. " Very funny, Zack,"

" See? I told you. They could make the most of it there. Now they've already kiss and make up,"

" We didn't!" Kim stomp his foot. After she and Tommy got back from the Nightmare Island, yeah, anything happened in that island was very terrible nightmares, she went home and dealt with a very angry and worried Caroline Hart.

Jason and Trini were there too, so they could witness how Kim's mother get freak out about her daughter stranded in an island with a guy. Yup, that's Caroline for you. Kim with helps from Jason and Trini was able to convince her mother that NOTHING happened.

Yeah, _nothing_ except a whole day of Kimberly Hart's humiliation day. She didn't do _anything_, just fell on her knees, had to be in one room and slept in the same bed with Tommy, begging him to, like he said, escort her to the toilet, almost cried in his arms AND she also had to suffer 45 minutes of the trip back to Angel Dock. Really. There's nothing happened.

" I must say that you and Tommy have such an interesting experience," Billy said, his eyes shinning behind those glasses.

" Oh yes! That was such a great, once in a lifetime experience! What I wouldn't give to do that all over again?" Kim sarcastically replied. Her hand reached for her smoothie and she took a long sip.

" Don't be rude, Kim," Trini patted her back.

Kim turned to her Asian bestfriend impatently. " Trini! You promised! I hold onto your and Jason's words! I have four of my bestfriends in the world to get my back. Look what happened!"

" Don't blame her," Jason slided into the empty seat next to Billy. His muscular body was covered with sweat and a towel hung around his neck.

" Don't you dare talk to me, Buster," Kim warned him.

" Talking about Tommy. Where is he? Those are great moves you two have there," said Zack.

Kim pouted once she heard Zack mention _his_ name. Sure, those were great moves. Too bad he didn't land on his face. That'd be something new.

" He's talking to Marissa," Jason grabbed his smoothie while all pair of eyes in the table moved to the direction where Tommy was standing with Marissa. Kim didn't want to look, but since her position was the most strategic, she only had to raise her head just a little and there he was.

Marissa Smith went to Angel Grove high with all of them. Kim barely knew her, Marissa was Trini's teammate in her volleyball club. She was a nice, smart and pretty girl with long auburn hair.

" Damn Tommy. He just moved here and he already grabs Marissa's attention? She's hot, dude," Zack commented, shaking his head.

" She's your teammate, right?" Billy asked Trini. She nodded.

" Yeah. I think she has hots for Tommy. He is a hot topic in the girls' locker rooms lately," Trini informed, glancing at Kimberly who now played with her nails.

Zack winked at Jason before nudging Kim's arm. " Kim, you're okay with this? I mean, that's your man out there,"

" He is not my man!" Kim nearly screamed, smacking Zack's head playfully. She set her jaw and went, " whoever he wants to date is not my problem,"

It wasn't her problems. Even if Tommy wanted to date Ms. Appleby, it's okay, go ahead. She didn't care. She didn't know Marissa closely, but Kim knew that Marissa was cool, unlike some others Tommy's fans in the school who acted as if he was a Hollywood actor. Marissa was tall, with a deep dimple on her right cheek. She's like a doll. And now she was clinging at Tommy's arm. He didn't seem to mind a bit.

**The Youth Center**

_: Tommy and Marissa :_

" So the ferry just left without you? That's a total disaster!" Marissa said. Her hazel eyes looked at him so attentively that he became uncomfortable.

" Yeah, you can say that," Tommy grinned rather awkwardly. He hardly ever had a conversation with this girl. She was in his Geography class along with Jason. So it's quite a surprise when she suddenly made her way to him and started talking.

" You're not alone, right? You said you go with Jason and the gang,"

Telling her that he was stranded in the Covenant Island wasn't his first choice to start a topic. But when she asked him about his weekend, he found himself telling her the story. Of course, he left out some details.

" I was there with Kimberly,"

" Kimberly? Trini's friend?" Tommy's eyes went wide when she linked her arms with his.

" Er… yeah," his eyes went to the table, knowing that he got audiences. It's true. They're all grinning. Tommy rolled his eyes and was about to pull his arm when his eyes met Kim's brown eyes. She watched him with curiousity and somehow he had the urge to let her continue. Due to Marissa's height, he didn't need to look down. Tommy smiled at her. " that's her,"

" So, when are we going to do that assigment?" she released him and stepped backwards.

" What assignment?"

She raised her eyebrows and smiled. " You know, the paper?"

" Ah, yeah, of course," he slapped his forehead. Talking about assignment reminded him of his other paper. The one where he was partnered with Kim. For the rest of the semester actually. He had completely forgotten it. What they would do? Influenza right?

" When do you have time?" Marissa asked, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear.

" It's up to you,"

**The Youth Center**

_: Jason, Kim, Billy, Zack and Trini :_

" At least it is Marissa," Jason voiced his opinion. " she's safe,"

Kim leaned back against her chair. Tommy was laughing, smiling and talking to that girl-, Marissa. He looked so comfortable with her, while everytime he was with Kim all they did was just fighting or arguing, or sometimes both of them. The trip back on the ferry was peaceful because she was too caught up in her seasickness to notice any comments from Tommy.

His eyes locked with hers for like two seconds, and they were… eyes. Just eyes. She couldn't read his emotion. Next, he was back to Marissa and his smile returned to his face.

Well, it's not like she cared. Just as she said, anything related to Tommy Oliver was none of her business and she didn't want to have anything to do with him. End of discussion.

" I have to head back. I promised my father I will fix his old radio transmiter," Billy finished his apple smoothie and got up. "see you tomorrow at school,"

Jason and Zack followed.

" Where are you going?" Kim moved her eyes from Tommy to her now standing friends.

Zack grinned from ear to ear. He bowed at Kim and Trini. " If you'd excuse me, I have a date to attend to,"

" And I am all sweaty, girls. I'llgo grab a shower," Jason continued, grabbing his towel.

" Okay. Bye Billy and Zack, behave," Trini chuckled.

" See ya tomorrow," Zack leaned down and whispered in Kim's ear. " and Kimberly, you don't have to bored a hole through Tommy's skull. He's all yours,"

" Zack!" Kim protested but felt her face turned into shade of pink. Damn this blushing fit.

Zack laughed and gave Jason a high five who was smiling knowingly. " Bye. Come on, Billy,"

Once the three boys left, Trini turned to the still pouting Kimberly. " Are you okay?"

" Of course I'm okay!" Kim ranted, lifting her head immediately. " what do you mean by that?"

" Hey, hey, easy, Kim. I'm just asking, no need to overreact," Trini leaned over and smiled secretively. Her face was slightly red from excitement. Whatever it was, Kim hoped it had nothing to do with Kim being stuck with Tommy. That's old news. " you know what? I have a date this evening!"

" Really?" Kim was purely amazed. She only ever saw Trini going out for a date twice. Trini was an attractive teenager but sometimes she was too picky if it already came to men. " but I thought Billy was going to help his father,"

" Not with him," Trini glanced around as if to make sure noone was listening. She played with her long black hair and had this dreamy expression across her feature.

" Oh God. Trini, what's happening with you? Not Billy? I always thought you liked him!" that and Kim never heard Trini mention any boys' names besides the genius. " I can't believe you didn't tell me,"

" You know Brian?"

" Don't you like Billy?" Kim asked again. She had to make sure. According to her little talk with Jason ages ago, Kim knew that Billy felt something towards Kim's other since childhood bestfriend. But Billy was too shy to ask her for a date, let alone admitted his feelings. Oh… Billy would be heart broken.

" Kim, focus!" Trini snapped her fingers in front of Kim's face.

" Okay. Brian. Do you mean, Brian, Brian Washington, the son of George Washington?" Kim giggled. Surely she knew him. He was a blond haired guy with the bluest of eyes. Trini really had things for that type of guy. And, Brian was also Trini's first crush in high school.

" Yes, that one," Trini played along, taking a sip of her drink. " he's in my English class, and imagine how surprised I was when he suddenly asked me to go to the movies with him!"

" Well…,"

" You know how I always mooned over him! It's so incredible," Trini's face practically glowed with happiness. She clasped her hands together. Honestly, Kim didn't know that. That Trini _always_ mooned over him. Kim thought Trini had got over him.

Brian was a handsome guy and he's popular too. He was in the football team and had his very own fans club. Almost everygirl in school was drolling over him. But, he was a jerk. Yup. Just like Tommy, but at least Tommy wouldn't change girlfriend every two weeks. Or maybe _not yet_?

" Trini, you know I don't want to say this. But you must have known for a fact that-,"

" I know. But he's changed. He hasn't dated anyone since Becky and that was two months ago. Brian is a very nice guy, Kim. Then again, it's just a movie, right?" Trini's expression was so hopeful that Kim didn't have the heart to burst her bubble.

" You right. Promise me, you'll be careful," Kim said. She felt her body relaxed when she saw that Marissa had already left. Relax? Why she should feel relax?

" I will. Thanks, Kim," Trini stood up and grabbed her bag. " I'll call you,"

" What time is your date with him?"

" I said I'll meet him at five. We'll hit that new burger restaurant first," Trini answered while walking backwards.

" Cool. Bye," Kim chewed her lower lips. She realized that Trini was a big girl, plus with her kung fu, she probably would break Brian's arm if he dared to do something she recalled inappropriate. Then a question popped in Kim's head. When did Brian ask Trini? Why she didn't say anything yesterday? She'd grill Trini this evening.

" Where're the others?" the voice of Tommy asked. She tilted her head and saw that he was standing beside the table.

" Everybody goes home, Jason's in the shower," Kim answered plainly. She couldn't help but taking a good looks at Tommy. He wore a black muscle shirt and his hair was kept in his usual trademark ponytail.

" Looks like you have a girlfriend already," _why I said that? Why?_

" What girlfriend?"

" Oh, don't play dumb. You know, Marissa Smith?" did her voice tremble? No… okay, maybe just a little bit.

" We're talking about the geography assignment," Tommy sat on the abandoned chair, rubbing his face with his towel.

" Yeah, you're talking like the world is truly yours," the words just flew out of her mouth. She couldn't control her tongue. _Kimberly! Stop! _

" Why? Don't tell me you're jealous?" Tommy shot her that infamous smirk of his.

" Yeah, you wish. Why should I? You're not my…," Kim dropped her gaze to her hands. She couldn't look at him because once she did that, she would open her mouth and nonsense'd flow like water. Especially after what she just said just now. She MUST NOT look at him.

" My what?" Tommy leaned over and turned his head slightly as if he couldn't hear her. " I didn't catch that,"

" You didn't because I didn't say anything," Kim finally dared enough to face him. She just stared at him. She didn't know what to say. More likely, she couldn't anything. His lips formed a lopsided grin. Wow, this was something. They actually made a real conversation, not just two or three words. But like always, once they really really talked, she always embarrassed herself.

" Sure you did! You said, ' you're not my…', what?" Tommy challenged her, his dark eyebrows hiked up. His silky tone almost got her.

" Shut up," Kim said severely. Then she saw Jason walking back to their table and she released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Thank God. What happened with her today? That seasickness must have done something to her head. " hi, Jase!"

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**: That's the end of the chapter. Nothing really important happened, I promise the next one will be more interesting, more Tommy and hopefully longer. Review please! NO flame! Thanks for reading.**

**- Yuuri**


	9. Hart plus Oliver?

**You and I Both…**

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**Disclaimer : Any PR related isn't mine.**

**: Thanks for the reviews :) , here is the ninth chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Nine: Hart plus Oliver? **

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Once Tommy was finished getting change, he grabbed his duffel bag and started heading to the parking lot. His hand was in the middle of looking for his key when his eyes caught a petite figure leaned back against his white jeep. His eyebrows raised automatically.

Kimberly Hart was standing there in her white and pink T-shirt and her jeans skirt that he noticed stop about three centimeters above her knees. Kim must be really like the color pink, it's not the second or the third time he saw her wearing the color. NOT that he paid any attention, but with her all over the place it's kind of hard not to know that. Yeah, that's it.

_( You have to admit that she's cute. You know she is._ )

Okay, so she was cute. Then what? She could be pretty and became such an annoying brat in the same time.

She's eyeing her watch every two seconds and Tommy decided it was time to make his presence known.

" What are you doing here?" he asked when he was about four meters from her. She tilted her head up and her face brightened.

" Oh, Tommy! Good thing you're here!" Her face lit up. Seemed she had forgot about what happened in the table half an hour ago. Teasing her was always fun and refreshing, especially making her blush. That's really entertaining. He was wondering what her answer would be if Jason didn't show up.

Kim jogged towards him and stopped in front of him, her smile broadened.

" Okay, don't smile like that, it's scary," he patted her right cheek playfully. She slapped his hand away.

" Don't… touch me," she moved one step backwards, creating some distances.

" Enough playing. What do you want?" Tommy asked right to the point. Kim had a strand of hair in her face and he got the urge to push it behind her ear. **Because** it's annoying, nothing more. Yeah.

" How could you tell?" Kim stared at him strangely.

Tommy sighed, shaking his head weakly. " Kimberly, you and I are enemies. I know you don't like to be around me and now you're waiting for me, eyeing your watch every second, smiling when you saw me and acting nicely towards me. You may be a good actress but I know better. So tell,"

Kim pouted, finally pushing her hair in her eyes behind her ear. " Fine. You're so clever. I give up,"

" Just quick, will you?" he said impatiently. Tommy walked pass her and threw his bag to the passenger seat. Kim was one step behind him.

" I can't believe I say this," Kim took a deep breath of air, summoning all her courage. " I need your help,"

Tommy spun around and walked closer. He put on the most confusion expression." Kim, are you okay? You're not feeling well? You have fever?"

" Oh, shut up!" Kim swatted his arm. " I'm serious!"

He laughed and lifted his hands. " Okay. You need my help. You want me to take you to the doctor?"

" Forget it," Kim swirled around and started walking. He really was too much! She knew this was a huge mistake to come to him.

" See? You're so easy to get angry. Typical Kimberly," Tommy leaned his body against the driver seat, watching her stop. He grinned. It's not so difficult to get to her.

" I know what you're trying to do so I suggest that you stop because you'll be sorry you ever said that to me," Kim grumbled under her breath.

" You'll make me sorry? How?" he really enjoyed this. They'd argued so often that he sensed he would miss this routine someday.

Kim turned around fast and walked towards him. Her fist was clenching firmly. " Maybe something like-, this!" she punched his stomach with her small fist. The attack came so fast that he didn't have time to react.

There was a glowing smile on her face. " Don't hit the face. That's your number one rule, right? So your handsome face is all safe and sound. That's your number one asset, right?"

She was small indeed but her power was pretty shocking. He cringed a bit but his brain quickly came up with an answer that he knew would make her tongue tied. He rubbed his stomach and smirked. " Then you admit that I am handsome, is that so? I'm flattered, Hart,"

" You want another one?" Kim raised her fist dangerously. Tommy knew she wouldn't hesitant to do just that. Being punched by a girl was saddening.

" What do you want to say?"

" Nevermind," she shrugged. " just forget it,"

" Not so fast, Missy," Tommy grabbed her arm when she's beginning to walk away. " you came here with no reason, punched me good and then just waltz away like that? No way. Speak,"

Kim pulled her arm from his grip and once again leaned against the jeep. She licked her lips. " Look. I really don't want to go to you but since Billy is helping his father, Zack is on a date with Angela and Jason has to go to the library to do the Biology research _which_ reminds me we haven't done that, I know you must be forget about that-,"

" Kim, you're babbling," he looked at her in the eyes.

" Long story short, Trini is on this date with a guy," she stopped, searching his face for a reaction.

" And does this guy have a name?"

" Brian, Brian Washington. You know him? Okay, not important. The thing is, I know what type of person Brian is and I'm a little bit worry about Trini,"

Tommy knew the guy. Brian Washington, the captain of the football team. He's quite a player that was obvious, even to someone as dense as Tommy. " Trini is a big girl. I'm sure she can protect herself. I've ever seen her sparring with Jason. She's pretty good, you know,"

" I know that. It's just…," Kim bit her lips, looking for the right words to say. " she's a little sensitive if it involve your kind. Brian is handsome alright, but his attitude is far from decent. Do you know that he forced his ex-girlfriend to sleep with him? And when she refused to do so, he broke up with her and the next day, there's a rumour in school that they actually did that? He's a jerk. I can't help but worrying about Trini,"

Her expression told Tommy that she was really worried about her friend. His eyes softened. " So what do have in mind?"

" I was thinking… how about you and I follow them? In case anything happens, you can teach Brian some lessons!"

" You and I? We? You mean like stalking them?" Tommy's voice trembled and he couldn't help any longer. He laughed. Kim gave him a look and his laugh subsided. "Kimberly, you want to play Sherlock Holmes?"

" I know talking to you is useless," Kim remarked shortly.

" Yeah, but… following them on a date? It sounds… funny, that's all. I never did it before," the way he said that made Kim get the impression like _she_ did that all year.

" You think following people around on a date is my hobby?" Kim's voice somewhat roughened. " you have such an interesting mind, Oliver,"

" Don't start," Tommy warned her. This was something that usually would initiate their daily war. Unlike the normal Kim, now she simply shrugged her shoulders and kept silence. " do you know where they'd go?"

" Trini said something about that new burger restaurant and after that they would catch a movie," she told him.

" What time?"

" She'll meet him at five. In the Deli Burger, I think," Kim's eyes looked at him with highly expectation. "what do you say?"

Kim presented him the best puppy look he had ever seen. Those brown orbs looked at him keenly and those lips formed a cute pout. Yeah, cute. " Please?"

Tommy knew he'd lost this battle, or did he the one who want to lose this one?

" Get in the car,"

" Yes! Tommy, you're the best!" Reacting on instinct, Kim lunged forward and hugged him. She fully realized what she was doing but she didn't know where it was coming from. The impulse, she meant.

For a moment his body went rigid but he soon found himself began to relax. Kim didn't seem to mind hugging him so why should he? Not every second must go by with fighting.

He hugged her back rather awkwardly and she pulled away after a while. Her cheeks flushed pink and she looked genuinely pleased.

" Let's go!"

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**: Thank you for reading. I know this is short, but this chapter is needed for the next one: _Hart-Oliver Team up!_ Please don't forget to leave your reviews, let me know what you think so far. NO flame!**

**- Yuuri :)**


	10. HartOliver teamup!

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I do own characters and places that unrelated to Power Rangers**

**: Thank you for your reviews:) This is a long chapter with more Tommy and Kim. It's the tenth chapter already! I didn't even realize that : ) . Anyway, enjoy! **

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**Chapter ten: Hart/Oliver team-up!**

****

" It's four forty five," Tommy looked at his watch. The jeep had been parked quite far from the restaurant. Kimberly didn't want to be seen by Trini. " do you want to get in now?"

" Knowing Trini, she probably hasn't come yet. She's really punctual. She'll show up five minutes before five. Trust me on that," Kim unbuckled her seat belt. " come on, we better get in before they come,"

Tommy grinned as he unfastened his own seat belt. " So excited already, eh? You really are something,"

Kim stopped for a moment and looked at him with a smile. " Sure I am. I'm a Hart after all,"

Kim led the way to the newest restaurant in town. She hadn't had the chance to try it out but some of her friends said that the food was okay and the place was nice.

She noticed a group of teenagers from Angel Grove high from far. Her ex-cheerleader teammates were talking and laughing in front of the entrance. Kim was hesitant for a sec. It's no secret to everyone in the know that the blonde knocked out named Beverly aka the captain of the squad was one of Tommy's biggest 'fans'. Aside from her blonde hair and her blue eyes, Beverly was anything that Marissa was, yeah, that Marissa Smith, and nothing like her. Kimberly.

However, if Jason said Marissa was 'safe', this one definitely needed a warning sticker on her back saying ' Warning, high voltage 10,000 volts'. Of course, many guys in school liked her. Tall, blonde and a great body that she never forgot to let everyone know that. Like right now, Beverly wore a tight almost transparent white shirt that showing her black bra underneath, and a pair of hotpants.

Kim had two options. One, she could take Tommy's hand and walked in front of Bev's eyes with pride. Kim still hadn't forgiven her for breaking up of the pyramid formation last year. Kim ended up with a twisted ankle that she missed the cheerleader competition the following month. Bev might not do it on purpose, but Kim still held a grudge against her on that.

Showing off like that would probably make Beverly had a heart attack in one second. She'd be seething with jealosy that Tommy walked with Kim, of all people. But the consequences were there too. Tomorrow there'd be a rumour about her and Tommy. THAT was the last thing she needed right now. Plus Bev would do anything to make sure Kim suffered. Yeah. She's that evil.

Option two. Kim'd tell Tommy to get in first and she would catch up after like two or three minutes. The problem was, they didn't have time. Trini could show up anytime soon. Then again, watching Bev's near death expression was worth the rumour she probably would get tomorrow. Bad Kimmie, very bad Kimmie. Though she realized it wouldn't be fair for Tommy, her using him like that.

In fact, Kim didn't have to make the first move because that time, out of the blue Tommy pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Call that surprises.

" What are you doing?" she hissed.

" Don't pretend like you don't know," Tommy put a cool expression. " Beverly is a witch. You know that she actually drops about three letters every two days in my locker since the second day I got here? Not to mention all the phone calls,"

" She calls your home?" Kim glanced up at him, looked surprised. They're getting closer to the gang. "wow. That's… something. She loves you so much,"

" Shut up," Tommy tightened his hand.

" Do you realize what would happen if she sees you and me in this position, right?" Kim asked while his aftershave slowly wafted into her nose. He smelled so good!

_But_ Jason smelled good too. And don't forget Max. Yeah. Not just _him_.

" Do you mind?" he had the nerve to ask while they're walking tentatively towards Beverly.

" Well, they maybe would think that we're going out when we AREN'T and not to mention she would act all bitch towards me. You tell me, do I have to mind?"

Tommy wet his lips, looked like he was thinking about Kim's statement. He released his grip from her shoulders. " You're right. It wouldn't be fair for you,"

That, with no doubt, was the sweetest words she ever heard coming from his mouth. The same mouth that exclaimed that her head was harder than a frozen pipe. (Why couldn't she forget that?) Kim nearly gave in and almost said that she wouldn't mind…

" But the rumour about you and me? That's what I can't handle. Going out with you? Come on!" his next sentence demolished the sweet pop in her mind shortly. She poked his arm quite hard.

" You bastard," she whispered with some indignation. Okay, so she possibly was nothing to compare to Marissa, the sweet auburn haired, hazel eyed, dimpled cheek girl who'd soon become Tommy's girlfriend, but still, he couldn't say that! " you…,"

Kim never got the chance to finish her sentece because that time, a familiar high pitch voice called out for, not her, but the man beside her. Beverly Johnson had safed Tommy Oliver from his doom.

" Tommy!" Beverly bounced towards Tommy. Kim discreetly moved away. Shooting a death glare that shouted 'Congratulations, that's what you got for insulting me! Meet your _girlfriend'_, Kim left Tommy and got into the fast food restaurant. The delicious smell of hamburgers and French fries welcomed her and Kim felt her mouth starting to water. After she went home, she only had that small Caesar salad in Ernie's with a strawberry smoothie and nothing more.

The place was crowded with teenagers, little children and their parents. Kim's eyes carefully roamed over the place. No Trini and no Brian. It was four fifty four right now.

She better ordered first. What did she want? Oh, that double cheeseburger looked delicious. That beef pepper special seemed good too. How about that sundae? Strawberry or chocolate? The milkshake that little girl had looked so tempting. French fries with-,

" You're so evil," the low voice whispered on her ear nearly making her jump. She turned around and found Tommy, still in one piece, standing behind her. " how could you leave me like that?"

Double cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake. Kim frowned and shook her head. " You think I'm your baby sitter? Then again, what do you want me to do? You have made yourself very clear that you couldn't stand any news about you going out with me. The old plain Kimberly. You didn't think I should come over, grabbed you and kissed you in front of her eyes, right?"

Somehow, someway, her mind started to provide a visual fit. She, grabbed him and _kissed_ him. Her empty stomach'd made her having hallucinations. This was so bad…

" You're still thinking about that?" he put both of his hands in his pocket. " you have to stop that habit, Kim. That can make you grow old sooner than its time,"

Okay. Don't think about him. Look at that Sundae. " We have to hurry. She could come anytime soon,"

" You want to eat?"

" Sure I do! Don't you?" He shrugged and they got in the line.

Ten minutes later and several worried glances at the entrance, Kim and Tommy slided to the booth in the corner.

" Where is she? It's five fifteen. Do you think she cancel her plan and go straight to the cinema?" Kim asked.

" Is that so or you possibly just want to have-," Tommy looked down at her tray with an interested smile. " double cheeseburger, French fries and milkshake, so you told me that Trini has a date in here when she actually hasn't?"

" If that's the case, you think I can't go here by my own? I have to demean myself to ask you to take me here? Please!" Kim started to eat her fries.

" You will eat all that?" Tommy only bought a plain chicken burger and Pepsi.

" Why? Never saw a girl eat like me?" Kim sipped her milkshake. " after all, you paid for this. Why not?"

Tommy had offered to pay for her meal. Back then in the Covenant Island, she paid half of the motel cost. Kim, after yet again felt like she had been violated by Tommy, agreed.

" A girl who can eat. I like that," Tommy unwrapped his burger and had a bite. Kim nearly choked on her drink.

Kim. Grow up. He didn't _like_ you like _that. But like as in, he likes you as a friend. Just like you like Jason and Billy and Zack. _

" That's them!" the glass door slided with a gentle chime and Trini walked in. Brian walked close behind her. He looked handsome as always. Her bestfriend looked pretty. She wore casual clothes, but there's something different about her. _She's falling in love, Kimberly._

How could she? Kim's still thinking that Trini's actual crush was Billy. Brian was a… distraction.

Tommy turned his head and nodded. " Well, at least now I know you're not lying," Kim kicked his leg under the table. He shouted," hey! Punching me was not enough so you have to kick my leg as well? How could I explain the bruises to my parent?"

" Just tell the truth," she grinned cheekily before looking at Trini. They sat near the window and Kim felt a rush of relief swept through her. Brian wouldn't dare to do anything right? Not when everybody could witness his every movement.

Tommy took a handful of fries and put them on his hamburger wrapped paper. " I paid for this," he said rapidly before Kim could protest. " you know you remind me of what, Kim?"

Kim's busy chewing her burger so she just shook her head. Tommy grinned widely and leaned back. " You remind me of a mother hen,"

She swallowed the food in her mouth with difficulty. She kicked his leg once again. There were times when action did more good than words.

" Hey!"

" As a mother hen, I have rights to kick everyone who I think is life threatening," Kim popped the last fries into her mouth.

" Life threatening? You think I'm dangerous?" Tommy leaned over, smiling.

" Deadly,"

_Kim, this guy in front of you is your biggest enemy. Okay, maybe after Beverly. You **can't** have other feelings towards him other than hate. He is your foe. Foes don't make you blush when they stand so close to you or when they smile to you. They don't make your heart beat faster._

Remember? This was Tommy. _The_ hunk.

They spent the time mostly with silence. Kim was too busy watching Trini and Brian to pay any attention to Tommy. Brian made a joke and Trini laughed. They talked a lot. Brian didn't make a physical contact, just a pat on her back. That's all.

Was Tommy right? That she looked like a mother hen?

**The Grove Cineplex **

**- Forty five minutes later**

" Do you know what movie they will watch?" Tommy queried.

Kim tip toed to get a better look. Trini and Brian were standing in front of the poster of… Oh, please don't.

" I think they gonna watch that new horror movie," Kim muttered. Of course, Trini loved horror movies. That's why Jason and Zack always took Trini if they wanted to watch that type of movie. " I don't believe this. I hate horror movies! They always surprise us with anything! And blood is everywhere, with scattered body pieces… that's totally gross!" she made a face.

" Trini loves horror movies? Cool!" his face brightened considerably, knowing the new fact.

Kimberly's eyes locked at the two figures about five or six meters from them. Trini was laughing, she looked very happy and Brian, well… So far he's okay. Was she a really paranoid mother hen? " Guys, they all love girls who like to watch horror movies, don't they?"

" Mostly, I guess. I mean, I know I do,"

" Does Marissa love it too?" Kim heard herself asking. The question startled Tommy but before he could answer, Kim nudged his arm. " we better buy ourselves tickets. The next movie will be up in fifteen minutes,"

They moved carefully. Until now, their momentarily roles as detectives went on well. When they finally reached the ticket stand, Tommy yet again surprised Kim by paying for her ticket.

" I have money, you know," she remarked.

" I need change," replied him simply.

Tommy paid for their tickets and Kim pulled him to the refreshment stand. She looked at him with those big doe eyes. She didn't need to say a word, Tommy knew.

" You want popcorn? We just ate like thirty minutes ago," he pointed out, more than slightly amazed that the petite brunette could eat that much. " don't you girls have to count calory in take?"

Kim nodded approvingly. She might not behave like a lady, but hey, she had to be true to herself. She loved to eat. Fortunately no matter how much she ate, she couldn't gain anymore weight. Or height.

" Not me,"

" I know, I think you're hoping the food you ate would be converted into an extra height. Am I correct?" he joked. Of course, he's sprouting nonsense, but like usual, teasing her was never boring.

Her lack of height was sometimes depressing. Somehow when Tommy teased her about it, she felt more miserable than usual.

This was so weird. She had to talk to Trini tonight. Something was definitely wrong here.

" Mine with butter, please. Now, I'd like to go to the ladies room and be careful!" with that said, Kim left. Tommy laughed bitterly but complied. Watching a movie without snacks was just so unheard of.

**Five minutes later**

" Hurry up, Tommy! They're not here anymore. Come on!" Tommy was waiting in front of the theater. His hands were full with one big bucket of popcorn and two cokes. Kim took the sodas and Tommy fished out the tickets from his pocket.

The theater was not so crowded. They took the seats in the middle row. Kim got the aisle seat while Tommy sat beside her. Kim surveyed the dimmed light theater and after a while she didn't find what she's looking for, panic started to bubble inside her heart.

" Tommy… where are they?" she whispered, grasping the armchair tightly.

" Maybe they're still outside," Tommy sipped his coke and leaned deeper into the chair.

" What if we're wrong? What if they don't watch this one?" Kim turned to him. Her hands pulled at his sleeve impatiently.

" You said that Trini loves horror movies, and they did look at the poster. They probably haven't come in yet,"

Like a cue, the light went off and the music that indicating the movie would begin was played. Kim heart sunk. " The movie is about to start,"

" Just try to relax and enjoy the movie, will you?" Tommy pulled her back and put the popcorn bucket on her lap. " I paid for this, so at least you have to respect me,"

" You're such a materialistic jerk," Kim shook her head in disbelief, managing to make her tone to sound more firmly. Tommy hushed her.

After twenty minutes and there're no sign of Trini and Brian, Kim was deadly sure that she and Tommy had chosen the wrong movie. Okay. Her fault, not Tommy's. As if that wasn't bad enough, the movie was really, trully a horror movie. The actor was good looking, the acting was great but that didn't cover all bloods, shrieks, missing body pieces and creepy mysterious backsound that came along with them.

She didn't want to watch, but curiosity took her and Kim endedly watching with her hands covering her eyes. She unconsiously scooted closer to Tommy and grasped his hand.

Pride aside, she really needed someone to hold onto right now.

" Oh God, Tommy…,"

Yup. Like a truly pathetic, she called out his name almost everytime the cold blood killer showed up and _that_ was like all the time. So basically she called him every ten seconds for eighty five minutes non-stop.

" Kim, are you okay?" he asked when the clown masked killer picked up his knife and climbed up the stairs. Always like that. The victim, who usually was a young girl with big boobs, ran to her bedroom and locked the door before hiding in the closet. Of course, they always dead in the end.

Kim paled. There's a loud voice and the phsyco was standing in front of the closet. The scene changed to the girl who was shaking tremendously. She knew her dead was near. The killer kicked the door open with a loud bang. He extended his big, long knife and stabbed the poor thing six times, bloods were spewing everywhere. He then cut her lifeless body into…

" Yuck!" she said these words a little too loudly and noticed that several people glance at her annoyingly.

Kim couldn't see. That's really disgusting. This surely was the most sickening movie she had ever seen. She felt something shaking and she lifted her head. It was when she realized that she, despite of her abhorrence towards Tommy, was burrying her face in his arm and clinging to him with all her might.

Tommy was laughing silently. " Are you still there, Kim?"

Kim released her grip on his arm and muttered with a slightly embarrassed manner. " You think this is funny, huh?"

" You're the one who wanted to see this," Tommy munched a handful of popcorn. He kept his voice low but the enunciation was clear.

Yeah, but that was because she _thought_ Trini was in the same theater. Only God knows what Brian would do in the darkness like this. Oh boy! Trini! Kim was too busy cuddling to Tommy that she completely forgot about her friend.

Finally, the torture in a form of a horror movie was finished and Kim never felt any happier. The light was on and she quickly scrambled to her feet.

" Where are you going?" Tommy called out.

Kim practically ran out of the theater and imagine how surprise she was when she almost bumped to _Brian_ in front of the entrance. He's here! He's alone!

" Kimberly?" the gentle voice Kim recognized as Trini's called her name.

" Er… hi, Trini!" Kim swallowed hard when the tall Asian girl approaching her. Her confusion was clear on her face.

" What are you doing here?" Trini asked. " you're not… following me, are you?"

Kim could feel her face redden. Trini always thought that Jason was good at busting people when they're lying. The truth was, Trini was as good as him. A master. "No! I'm… you know, I watch that horror movie Zack told us,"

Brian who stood beside Trini squirmed on his feet. He listened to their conversation lazily.

" _You_ watched a horror movie? Kim, are you okay?"

Kim really began to sick hearing those words. This reminded her that she wasn't alone. Where's Tommy?

" Trini, come on," Brian said. " we still have to go to another place,"

" Kim, I have to go," Trini said softly, offering a smile. Kim then looked at Brian and said,

" Excuse us for a moment,"

" What, Kim?"

" Where would he take you?" Kim asked suspiciously. Sherlock Kim was in action.

Trini shrugged, moving her long black hair. " You know that Brian actually asked me to accompany him buying a present for Julia?"

" Julia?"

" His girlfriend in Miami," Trini answered shortly.

" Oh, Trini…," he wanted her to help him pick a gift for his girlfriend? That was so sad. Almost like the novel Kim read sometimes ago.

" It's okay. I have a great time. We watched that comedy film-," Kim cut her off.

" Comedy?" Kim echoed weakly. Oh God. While Trini was laughing vigorously, Kim was seeing that… that sadistic movie with her hand clasping Tommy's hand tightly! This was a disaster!

" I have to go, Kim," Trini leaned over and whispered on Kim's ear. " the answer for your question is, yes, I like him," then she backpedaled and back to Brian.

Kim stood numbly there, watching as Brian and Trini vanish from her sight. Like him? Like who? What question? Oh God! Trini liked Billy! She admitted it! Kim knew it, she'd known it since long!

" What happened?" Tommy was now standing behind her.

" Where have you been?"

Tommy looked at her through his long lashes. " I didn't think it's wise for you to be seen with me,"

Yeah. Tommy's initial words rang in her head. For her or for him? " Well, apparantly, Brian asked Trini to accompany him buying something for his girlfriend,"

" Girlfriend? Ouch," he winced, recalling Kim's story about Trini's crush towards Brian. Kim shook her head, smiling.

" Now, it's okay," Trini liked Billy! She probably thought it was just an onesided feeling that she tried to deceive herself by 'mooning' over Brian. But Tommy didn't need to know that, especially when he and Billy was buddies right now.

" Looks like you're wrong, Sherlock," Tommy pulled out one of his hand from his jeans pockets, looking at her so intently that it made her feeling unease. " it's good though. At least we know that Trini is okay,"

Kim nodded. If she recapped all the events that had happened today, she could say that _she_ actually had a date with Tommy. Hell, she spent half of this day hanging out with him. With Tommy who was someone she had considered as a jerk, the last person she wanted to see and of course, her enemy.

He's annoying alright, however in the same time he's…

Without fighting like they normally did, their conversation went on quite smoothly. He had a rather weird sense of humor and his tongue lashing sometimes was too much to bear. But Tommy's _okay_.

He paid for their meal, the tickets, the popcorn and the cokes. Not to mention she actually snuggled to him. Fine, that last part was caused by the terrible movie they, no, she had chosen. So it couldn't be counted, right? She would do the same with Jason or the rest of the guys. He hugged her shoulders, but THAT was just an act to fool Beverly.

She was on a '_date'_ with Tommy Oliver.

The only thing needed to complete the 'date' was just a kiss.

Did _she_ really think that?

Oh no. This was bad. Real bad.

They were NOT on a date. TRINI was the one who was on a date, not she and Tommy. N-O-T to spell it out.

" Kim? You in there? " he leaned down until his face was on the same level with hers. A week ago, Kim undoubtedly would moved backwards and maybe slapped that face. Now? She could practically hear her own heartbeat.

Kim wasn't naïve. She was fully aware with this kind of feelings, either from her experience or from the stories her friends had told her. Kim had only ever experienced it once, when she first saw Max Winthrop on the podium, giving a speech about the Human Rights in a debate competition years ago. Honestly, Kim was utterly, completely falling in love head over heels towards him. She cried for a good two days when he left for Germany. After that the butterflies in her stomach kept still in her belly… until just now.

She COULDN'T be falling in love with _him_. That was totally absurd. She hated him. HATE. How could her feeling change 180 degree overnight? Nah…

" Yeah, I'm here," she could finally speak.

" What do you want to do now? Are you going someplace? I think we should go home, it's almost eight thirty. We don't want to make your mother think that I, the person who was stranded with you on that island, am kidnapping her daughter, do we?" Tommy laughed lightly.

Since when did he get so nice? The last time she checked Tommy's still an egoistic bastard.

" I think you're right," her brown eyes were unusually lacking of warmth.

** On the drive home **

" Are you okay? You're awfully quiet since we left the building," Tommy tapped the steer rhythmically.

See? He's asking her if she was okay! That guy who sat behind the steer wasn't Tommy. The Tommy she knew would never ask her if she was okay. Instead, he'd say something that could make her wanted to once again punch him.

Who was she kidding… She's not okay. She's FAR from okay.

" I'm fine,"

" The cat get your tongue? Guess you finally realized that you've been assaulting my eardrums,"

Now THAT was the Tommy she knew. Kim glared at him. " You're pathetic,"

" Me! Why thank you, Hart," he replied with a leer.

_Calm down, Kim… One minute to go and you'll be home. You can start to sort this… confusion you have. Don't panic. You can call Trini. She always knows what to say. Or Jason? No! Not him. He'll talk to Zack and they, together would turn my day into a living hell. I'll never hear the end of it. How about-_

" Geez! Tommy!" Kim jerked frontwards, the seatbelt held her in place. Tommy had stepped on the brake without any warning. It was when she noticed that they had stopped right in the corner of her block.

" Oh God," he muttered under his breath. Surprise, angry and disbelief flashed across his feature.

" Tommy?"

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**: That's the end of this chapter and it ended with a cliffhanger: ) Please don't forget to leave your reviews, they encourange me to update. As always, NO flame! **

**- Yuuri : )**


	11. Thus come another storm

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing, just characters and places that are Power ranger unrelated.**

**: Thank you so much for all your reviews : ) this is the eleventh chapter. Kinda short, but it will fill in the cliffhanger I left you guys in the end of the previous chapter. Anyway, enjoy the story! **

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**Chapter eleven: Thus come another storm**

" Tommy?"

The guy looked like he wasn't even listening. He gripped the steeringwheel tightly. This just wasn't possible. _Right? _

Kim frowned, turning her head back to the street to look for anything that had made Tommy went pale. Almost as white as the guy in the movie before the killer, who soon revealed to be his younger stepbrother, multilated him with a chainsaw.

Euww…… Tommy had reminded her of the number one disgusting scene that she wanted to forget.

Kim wasn't sure what struck Tommy, but what she saw right now had dumbfounded her. She blinked a couple of times to make sure that what she looked at was real.

Oh boy, could it be more real than THAT?

Even with the distance and the dark, Kim was sure that it was her mother kissing with a man in front of a white mazda. Not just a simple peck, but a passionate kiss that made Kim wants to hide in the deepest hole. Couldn't they do it inside the car? More privacy?

She knew her Mom was dating someone but watching her own mother kissing heatedly in the middle of the street was just… horrible. Kim moved slightly and faced Tommy. If she studied his face closer, it looked like his expression was not too far from hers.

Besides the kissing couple, there're only a brown white stripes cat walked across the street and an old man smoking on his porch. Mr. Parker! My God. Her mom was smooching in front of the nosiest neighbour anyone could have.

Kim's body shivered with a strange feeling. Why would Tommy react badly towards a cat and a nosy neighbour? Or he probably was shocked by the 'interesting' sight a few yards before them?

That didn't make sense at all. They could see that everyday in school and yet he reacted like he'd seen a ghost.

Unless…

She quickly spun around in her seat and found that Tommy was now looking at her. His eyes pierced at hers darkly.

" Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he whispered.

" Are _you_ thinking what I'm thinking?" she echoed.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck and then asked after taking a deep breath of air," Is that… your _mother_?"

Oh no. Kim froze. This was so not happening. " Don't tell me if that is your _father_," _please?_

Tommy was not as dense as some people might think about him. He got the implication behind the question. And when Kim didn't answer, he could figure out himself. Tommy would recognize that car anywhere. That was his father's. _That_ was **his father** and **her mother** who were kissing out there.

Just what he needed to complete this day.

" So," said Kim when her voice returned. Caroline hugged _Mr. Oliver_ for the last time before she got in the house. As a gentleman, he escorted her to the door before going back to his car and driving away. " your dad and my mom… are dating?"

After that kiss, was it possible if they're 'just friends'? Tommy raised his shoulder in a shrug. He looked as shaky as she was. " Looks like it. I don't know,"

So Mr. Oliver was the _friend_ her mom told Kim. Would friends kiss like that? They could win an Oscar nominee for Best Kiss if such a category was exsisted. That was her mother. Seeing her mother kissing with an unknown man who oh so coincidentally was also TOMMY's FATHER was not appalling at all.

Kim never knew that Tommy's parents were divorced. She always thought that he had a one big happy family, with dogs too perhaps.

" Where's your mother?" Kim asked softly. Family was always a hard spot for her, that's why she rarely talked about it. She loved her mother but it saddened her still when she's thinking about her dad.

" They divorced three years ago," Tommy leaned back, closing his eyes. " now Mom lives in Canada with Julian. Her new hubby," he added fast.

" Same here," Kim said weakly. " my Dad's in Miami. He has a girlfriend, Carrie. I never met her though,"

They sat in silence for a full two minutes. The only sound was Tommy's jeep's machine. Neither Tommy nor Kim knew what to say. Their mother and father dated each other. It's more like faith did really enjoy playing with them.

What **if** they got married? Kim didn't hesitate for even a second to voice that out to the guy who sat beside her. " Tommy. You do know that if somehow the relationship is serious," Kim got the gut to say that this _was_ serious. That's why Caroline looked so happy for the past few weeks. " there's a big chance that we, that they could-," the word 'married' refused to leave her mouth.

" Get married," Tommy continued. They would be siblings. Tommy and Kimberly. Living in the same house, sharing bathroom together, fighting over the remote control, eating on the same table… he would meet her 24/7.

Tommy had always known that the sudden changing in Benjamin Oliver was not ordinary. Sure, he got a better position at work here on Angel Grove, but that just wasn't it. Tommy blurly guessed that it must have something to do with a woman, but Tommy was never sure about that… Now he's 100 percent sure.

He didn't know how to react. Benjamin and Jennifer Oliver had been married for twenty five years before they decided to split up. They'd never fought in front of their kids, but the tense was always there. Just said that Tommy had prepared himself for the worst thing coming so that when Ben proclaimed their decision to take a short cut, divorce, that didn't shock Tommy too much.

He's upset and disappointed, but if that was the best way for them he wouldn't say anything. Now that he knew his Dad was dating a woman… Tommy was thinking whether David knew about this. His brother had returned to San Fransisco two days ago.

Tommy's Dad dated regularly but nothing special, just dinners and something like that. Who knew that Ben would meet his 'soulmate' in here, on Angel Grove?

" Will your Dad become an evil stepfather like in those storybooks?" Kim asked. Tommy noticed her hands clutching her skirt tightly. A small smile broke across his face.

" As long as I remember, most of the 'evils' are the stepmoms,"

" I know. But I could assure you that my mom wouldn't treat you like Cinderella," Kim grinned bitterly. Confusion still swirled around her head. " or at least I can guarantee you that she won't kick you under the table or punch your stomach,"

" Good,"

Kim nodded. How come her mother never told her? In their conversation in the middle of the romantic candlelight dinner Mr. Oliver must have mentioned his son who went to Angel Grove high, right? Her mom probably had told him about _her_, Kimberly who went to the same school! Judging from Tommy's reaction, she could tell that he was equally blind. When her mom would tell her? One day before the wedding day?

Oh God. This was like a dream. This shouldn't happen to her!

_Kim**, If** you did actually like Tommy and now your mom had a thing with Tommy's Dad. Wasn't that just disgusting? _Her heart spoke softly. It _was_.

But since Kim didn't like Tommy, it's okay. Well, not OKAY but at least she didn't have to stress out over her feelings towards him. Because there's nothing between him and her. AND it would be like that till the end of time.

" Honestly, I don't know what to say, Kim," Tommy turned his head. He sounded kind of dazed. No clue as to what had really happened.

" Same here,"

" I think I'm a little angry because my Dad never said anything about dating," _especially dating your mom!_ " I _want_ to get angry, but… I don't think it's fair. I mean, I could see that my Dad was tremendously happy lately. He's not like that back then in Texas," Tommy said quietly. Was this a heart to heart session?

Kim only looked at him, not saying anything.

" My Dad is dating _your_ mom? God, Kim. That is so…if she's anything like you, I think I have to tell my Dad to rethink his decision before they going too far," he said with a smirk. If things had already been awkward for them before, now everything would get more uncomfortable than ever.

" Keep going!" Kim shot him her best glare and challenged, " don't let me stop you. Go ahead, assaulting my eardrums like I assulted yours,"

" You do know I hate you. Right, Kim?" his smile lessened and Kim felt like there's an invisible hand slap her face.

" Sure I do. I hate you too," she tried to match his bold voice but found it nonetheless useless.

" I know I should hate your mom because… well, she's _your_ mom,"

" Like I should hate your dad because he's _your_ dad, is that so?" was there no more sensible reason than THAT? I hated you so I automatically hated your mom too.

Her brown eyes twinkled in the dark. Tommy leaned over and muttered, " Yes,"

" Fine,"

" But the truth is," Tommy suddenly got the push from out of nowhere and he pushed a strand of hair behind Kim's ear. Kim had twisted her hair into a messy knot on the top of her head. " I actually don't,"

" Don't what? Hate me or hate my mom?" _Kim. Kimberly Hart. Breathe… this just **a guy**. _

Tommy pulled back, like he just realized what he just did. " You really need to ask? Think by yourself. Your brain needs practise,"

Kim's mouth opened but no words came out. She's narrowing her eyes while Tommy started the engine. After eight seconds he stopped the car in front of her house.

Kim calmed herself before saying," Look, you have to know how painful this is for me to say, thanks. For today. And about your Dad… I won't comment anything and same as you, I don't either," with that she unbuckled herself and grabbed the door.

" You don't hate me or you don't hate my dad?" same question and he got the same cold respond.

" You're so clever. Still need to ask?"

**Kimberly Hart vs Caroline Hart**

" Hi Honey," her mom greeted Kim with the sweetest smile. Caroline was standing in front of the fridge, pouring herself an orange juice.

" Mom, are you dating Mr. Oliver?" Kim asked, looking directly into her mom's eyes. It had been a long day and Kim wanted to get over it as soon as possible. Caroline's smile somewhat vanished and she put the glass on the counter.

" How do you-, ah, you saw us," Caroline stated, not asking. Kim could tell her mom was nervous. Well, she should.

" I saw you alright. But you don't answer my question, Mom," Kim hated Tommy so much. She had been since the very first time she met him in Angel Grove hallway. Now her mom _was_ dating **his** father. How lucky she was?

" Ben is an old friend of mine," Caroline pulled out a chair and sat. " we went to high school together,"

Kim felt like someone had turned her stomach upside down. So they were _high school sweetheart_. Kim knew for a fact that her mother didn't meet Darren, the man who then she got married with and also the Kimberly's father, until she graduated from high school. They met in the university.

" He's your ex - boyfriend?" Kim could believe she actually had this kind of conversations with her Mom. Kim was 'interrogating' her. Secretively, Kim wondered if she would act the same if only the man wasn't Tommy's Dad but just somebody else.

" We're best friends, but then we went to different directions. He moved to Miami and got married with a nice woman, Jennifer," _Tommy's mother._ Kim mused. Caroline went on, " we still keep in touch. Then I found out that they're no longer together and he contacted me last month that he'dmove to Angel Grove,"

_You two met and got **reacquainted**. He's single, she's single. I see. _" Mom, do you know that he by chance has a son who goes to Angel Grove high too?"

Her mom's expression was so blunt like someone had written the word 'BUSTED' across her feature. Kim lifted herself up to the counter and said, " Mom, are you evergoing to tell me?"

" I know that you and Thomas don't have the best relationship,"

" What?" how could she know that? Kim never said anything about _Thomas_ to her mom. Not a word. Suddenly another thought popped in her head. Her mother didn't even say anything when she knew that Kim was stranded on that island with him!

" I was walking towards the guestroom the other day when I accidentally heard your conversation with Trini," Caroline said, her brown eyes looked at Kim apologetically.

Kim couldn't blame her on that. She admitted that everytime she talked about Tommy, her voice would rise automatically. Kim recalled she said something like, _' Yeah, Tommy Oliver is a jerk! I hate him! Hate, hate him!'_

That, obviously, was so easy to understand and her Mom had probably heard it. Or was it the one where Kim said that Tommy was an 'unresponsible bastard'? Well, both could be taken as signs that Kim and Tommy _didn't have the best relationship_.

" So then you decided that since I have this brawl with Tommy, you don't have to tell me? So I won't get in your way? Is that it?" Kim's voice rose a little.

" I'm trying to find the right time to tell you, Kim,"

Gosh! She's just telling Kim that she was dating a guy, not _marrying_ one! She took it all too seriously. Or she probably _was_ serious. Kimberly inhaled a deep breath and said, " Okay, just forget it. Whatever happened, happened,"

Caroline looked extremely grateful. A soft smile formed on her face. " I know you will understand,"

Honestly, Kim didn't understand at all. However, like Tommy had told her, Kim hadn't seen her mom so happy and alive since long. Fine. Kim could deal with this Mr. Benjamin Oliver.

How about his son? Thomas Oliver? Would she ever manage to deal with **him**?

This might be just a bad dream. Tomorrow she'd wake up and everything would be back to normal. Was that possible?

**Tommy Oliver vs Benjamin Oliver**

" How's your date with Ms. Hart, Dad?" Tommy asked his Dad once he kicked the front door close. His father was sitting in the living room. The gentle song of Rod Steward's played on the radio. _He is falling in love._

" Tommy, hi, Son," Ben was surprised but he didn't cover it all that good. He moved to turn off the radio. Tommy walked into the living room and dropped to the fluffy chair. He made himself comfortable which meant he wouldn't leave the room until he knew all the sordid details.

" She looked very pretty tonight," Tommy said again, watching a faint blush colored his father's cheeks. His dad was blushing. This was wrong. His Dad didn't blush. _Never_. Then Ben cocked his eyebrows. Tommy quickly filled him in. " I was dropping Kimberly off when I accidentally saw your car," the car and a couple kissing in front of it.

" Kimberly?"

" Kimberly _Hart_," Tommy nodded. The image of the perky brunette flashed in his mind. The hug, the punch, the kick until her last words before she got out of the jeep.

"You have figured that out yourself," that's Benjamin Oliver for you. Always right to the point. He beamed widely. " I was about to tell you,"

" Oh really?" Tommy was _interested_. When? Tomorrow? Next month? Next year?

" I thought you and her… you two don't get along so well," Tommy's father was surely full of surprises. " you said you dropped her off? You're hanging out with her?"

No, he didn't. He just… kept her company, paying for her meal, her ticket, her popcorn and being someone she's clinging at. They were **not** hanging out.

" Dad, you're dating her mom and you didn't even bother to tell me? Don't tell me you didn't know that Kim and I go to the same school,"

" I know that. I was looking for the best way to tell you," Ben sat back on the couch and folded his arms over his chest. " like I said, I know that you two don't get along very well,"

Tommy didn't even want to ask where the hell his father got that information. " If we don't make peace until, say, five years from now, will you keep it from me for that long?"

" Of course not, Son,"

Tommy shook his head. So much had happened in a short period of time. One thing hadn't finished and yet came another one. These were all too much for his brain to take.

He didn't want to blame her. Hell, he couldn't blame her.

Everything was so complicated. His feeling was one of the complicated things. What feeling? She hated him and the feeling was mutual.

Wasn't it?

* * *

**: That's the end of the chapter. So Kim's mother and Tommy's father are dating. Things got more complicated. Please, don't forget to leave your reviews, let me know what you think. As always, NO FLAME! Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter.**

**- Yuuri : )**


	12. I think I

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing, but places and characters that Power Rangers unrelated are mine.**

**: Thank you for all your reviews, I appreciate them all and I'm so glad to know that you liked my different approach! This is the new chapter, hope you enjoy! **

* * *

**Chapter twelve: I think I…**

****

" How's it going?" Trini asked Kimberly when the girl in pink flopped into the vacant seat across her. Kim had told her and the gang about her Mom dating Tommy's father and Trini knew that Kim had it bad

" _So, let me say it again," Zack said from his place by his locker. " Ms. Hart and Mr. Oliver," Kim nodded gloomily. Zack went on," Kimberly and Tommy,"_

" _No!" Kim quickly resented the statement. _

_Jason grinned, looking down at his 'little sister'. " That is so…,"_

" _That's indeed a particularly singular occurrence," Billy said solemnly, throwing Kim a sympathetic look._

" _If by that sentence you mean this is so annoying, frustating and weird at the same time, then I totally agree with you. AND please! That's disgusting! Me dating my mom's boyfriend's son?" Kim put her hands on her hips. The others chuckled. " and I do NOT like him! How many times do I have to say that?" she persisted desperately._

_Trini smiled and voluntarily explained, " What Billy was trying to say is that you have such a unique experience,"_

_Unique? Hello? What's so unique about THAT? Could anybody, somebody, try to put themselves in her position and see what it felt like?_

" Slow, but at least it's done already," Kim mumbled, resting her chin on her hand. She just got back from the library after five hours research with Tommy. Now she felt like she had known every single thing about AIDS.

It was really awkward. Since Tommy didn't bring the touchy subject on the air, Kim didn't either. When she woke up yesterday morning, she pinched her cheek to make sure that everything that had happened was real. It hurt so it was real. Even after two days she still couldn't believe it.

Benjamin Oliver and Caroline Hart was an item. That's like, the craziest thing she had ever heard.

_They worked in silence, just talking when exchanging words between them was necessary. Kim bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying ' Your dad is dating my mom' for the umpteenth times. She fully realized that she sounding like a broken record, but everytime she repeated saying it all over again, it sounded more unbelievable than the last time she said it. _

_Tommy suddenly opened his mouth, breaking the silence hanging over them._

" _What do you think about it?" _

_Kim pulled her pen from her mouth and raised her head. Tommy casually planted himself against the mahogany bookshelf. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his expression was serious. " Well, if you have any suggestion, please, feel free to tell. Maybe we can have a look at the issues from different point of views-,"_

" _That's not what I meant," Tommy was dressed in his usual attire, a nice white shirt and jeans. His usual pony tailed long hair was down. _

" _Oh," Kim went numb. Hell, they couldn't pretend like nothing happened because like it or not, their parents **were** going out. Going out, dating, whatever word fit you best. They were to-ge-ther. " how about you?" _

" _Actually, it's not a big of problem for me, that Dad's dating someone. If the woman isn't your mom, I believe I wouldn't react like this," Tommy had voiced out what's exactly in Kim's mind. That was very true. The reason why she, they, got all freak out was because they were his dad and her mom. _

" _If the guys in school know about this, we're dead," Kim's thinking about the rumour that sooner or later would spread out amongst the students. Beverly, definitey, would pass out. _

" _Maybe," Tommy flipped through the pages of the thick encyclopedia that was laying open on the table. While his hand was busy, his eyes were not idle either. The dark brown eyes looked up and down the aisles before moving back at her." don't think that I would be nice to you just because of this," _

_Kim crossed her legs, frowning. " What? Please don't tell me that you're actually thinking that if you harrass me once again, which is something you always do, I will go, run to my mother and tell on you so she could inform your dad that his son has been disturbing my peace,"_

" _Well, you're still a girl," he shrugged and closed the thick book. _

" _AND don't you ever think I would act nicely towards you because of this. Just as you know, this whole catastrophe has actually raised the capacity of my hatred towards you," Kim replied coldly. _

" _Duly noted, the feeling is mutual," Tommy said and Kim shot him a look before turning back to the task on hand. She picked the other reference book and looked at the index page. Safe for a whole minute of silence and Tommy abruptly took the book from her. _

" _What?" _

" _I want to ask you something," he somewhat seemed to be rather bashful. His hand tugged on his pony tail. A gesture she had quite familiar with by now. _

" _Shoot. Hurry up so we can back to work," Kim replied in frustation. Tommy had showed up thirty fiveminutes behind schedule. His reason was that he forgot to wind up his watch. Yeah, he said that. She probably had to buy him a digital clock completed with an alarm for his next birthday. _

" _You know that party Zack is having this Saturday?" he started. Kim nodded, eyeing him curiously. " he said that everyone has to bring a date," _

_Kim got the invitation too. Seemed like everybody in AG high got one. The bright yellow flier was given by Trini at lunch. She soon found out that his parents out of town for the weekend and their son had gained their trusts and permission to throw a party. The small post script on the bottom of the paper didn't go unnoticed. _

' **_Bring a date with you or you won't be allowed to enjoy the party!' _**That was so typical Zack.

_At that time, Kim just mock scoffed over it. Zack wouldn't ever send his friends away just because they came all alone. _

" _I know that. You can go with Marissa or Beverly," she said those words with some annoyances. Which one did she prefer, the sweet Marissa clinging at his arm or Beverly all over him? None of the above. Kim didn't want to see that. _

_Tommy, in the other hand, looked amused. He slid back into his chair. " You're right," _

" _Of course, I always right," Kim said boldly, chosing not to look at him in the eyes. " or if you don't want to disappoint one of them, you can always ask them both. I'm sure Zack wouldn't mind," _

" _They are my friends, but asking them wouldn't be right. I don't want them to get the wrong impressions, especially Beverly," said Tommy and Kim felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders. It snapped her. __WHAT THE HELL SHE WAS THINKING? Tommy could go with anybody, that wasn't her problem. He could go with all girls' population of Angel Grove and she wouldn't even say a word. _

_She's not jealous. She** was not **jealous!_

" _So, what's your point?" Kim adjusted her breathe, trying with all of her strength to stop thinking silly. Tommy's dark eyed gaze was intense._

" _I was saying… maybe you can go with me?" he said calmly, unlike Kim who felt like she had been electrocuted and nearly fell off her chair. Her mouth dropped open and snapped it shut after a few moments. " don't overreact," _

_How could he tell her not to overreact? He just asked HER to go to the party with him! Not the sweet, smart and innocent Marissa or the strikingly sexy ( and poisonous) Beverly. But her. The old plain Kimberly Hart. _

" _You want to go with **me**?" she squeaked once she managed to find her voice._

" _Yeah, you have problems with that?" he blinked at her. " I asked you because you're the only sane girl I know, besides Trini of course. Don't get any ideas," _

" _Oh, I'm honored that you actually think I'm sane enough to be your date," Kim responded a bit hotly. _

" _Cool," _

" _Did you hurt your head on your way here? Maybe some of these books are too difficult for you to comprehend so you developed somekind of brain disease? You asked me to go with you. That's so not you!" _

" _If you don't want to, just say it," he remarked stiffly. _

" _I just said that you have surprised me," Kim breathed, applausing herself because her voice didn't shake this time. " you said you hated me and now this. That's not so consistent of you, don't you think?" _

_Tommy grabbed his pen and ' The World's Deadly Disease'._ He sounded irritated._ " Okay, forget it," _

_Kim bit her lips. The pouting Tommy was a cute sight. She stiffled her laugh. " Well, okay. Truce then?" _

_Tommy sighed and sat a little straighter on his chair. His lips formed a wide smile that she barely ever saw on his face. He's smiling at her, that's something. " Truce it is," _

" That Zack's party? I'm going with Tommy," Kim confessed after a moment's pause, gnawing her lips nerveously. Trini nearly choked on her drink. Her black eyes went big.

" With whom?" Trini yelped.

Kim felt her face heat up. " Nobody else asked me, so why not?"

Trini shook her head gracefully. " Oh, come on. Skull would probably die to get the chance to go out with you. And Bulk. How about Michael?" Michael Gellar, the dark haired guy who was Jason's friend.

" Tommy said I'm the only sane girl he knew," Kim said, pouting when Trini released a giggle. " besides you. Which remind me, why didn't he ask you? You two are good friends and you're _sane_ enough to go with him. Why me? His enemy in this lifetime,"

Trini's Asian feature turned pink. Kim knew instantly what had made her friend blush. Kim beamed widely, showing a set of perfect teeth. " Ah… you go with Billy! Wow, you and Billy. Finally! I've been wondering which one of you who would cave in first. You or him?" she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.

" I won't tell you!"

**Taylor's residence **

**: Saturday Night**

Kim combed her hair with her fingers. She wore a simple pale pink t-shirt and jeans, nothing too special. After all this was just an ordinary party. No need to dress up. It's just a party. _A party where Tommy was your date…_

He wasn't her date, he wasn't her date, he wasn't her date… That's her new mantra since that day on the library.

" Kimberly! Here you are, Sis. What took you so long? Where's your date? You go with Tommy, right?" Zack didn't waste another time. Once he opened the door he bombarded her with questions.

Kim pushed him and walked in. " We'll meet here,"

" Here?" Zack shouted to defeat the upbeat music. " didn't he pick you up? That boy needs a lesson!"

Kim squinted her eyes at her bestfriend since they were kids. Actually, she was the one who told Tommy to meet in Zack's house. She wouldn't risk her mom saw him, the son of the man she was dating. Caroline would grill Kim over that. " What's with this bring-yourself-a-date policy, Zack?"

" Oh, you know, there's some good stuff coming. Better if you got a partner with you," Zack grinned.

" Can I use your lavatory?" Kim asked.

" Sure. You know where it is,"

Of course she did. They had done countless time sleepover, either here, her house, Jason's or the others'. Kim walked pass Zack's loud stereo and some people from his English class. In the kitchen Kim saw Beverly with two guys. Looking sexy as usual, both of the boys had their hands on her tighs. Kim cringed. If Tommy asked Bev instead of Kim, it would probably be _his_ hand groping her leg. Yuck!

Kim climbed up the stairs, waving at Suze and Brad. Jason was nowhere to be seen, Billy and Trini hadn't come either. And Tommy? Well, he must be late. Again. That guy really had some issues with punctuality.

_**- Tommy**_

" Are you okay?" he asked, his hand moving up and down Marissa's back. She was drinking the punch when suddenly her stomach acting up. Tommy, being a gentleman, simply couldn't not do anything. Especially when she literally leaned against him when the nausea attacked.

" I'll live," she rinsed her mouth with the water Tommy gave her. She smiled weakly. " thanks,"

" Maybe someone spiked that punch. We'd better tell Zack," said Tommy. If the red colored beverage was really the cause, Tommy didn't want his friend to get into any trouble.

" Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Tommy," Marissa smiled sweetly, showing her dimple.

" If you're feeling okay, let's get back," he gave her a shove to walk first. Out of the blue, she swirled around. Tommy, had no preparation, lost his balance and tumbled forwards.

" Omph! Tommy!" Marissa yelped and he quickly brought his face from her neck. They had landed flat on the floor with he being on top. He quickly lifted up his body off her. His weight got to be crushing her.

" I'm sorry," he stammered.

" It's okay," Marissa's eyes sparked and Tommy felt more than slightly intimidated. He offered a smile, not too sure what to say. Somehow it brought up a sense feeling of déjà vu.

Kimberly. Where was she? A sudden thought invaded his mind. He glanced at his watch. " Are you sure you feel better?" she nodded. " then let's go,"

**- Kimberly**

Had somebody seen her right now, they must be thinking that Kim got an emergency call from the hospital or the police. Skull, who had arrived by the time Kim dashed into the living room, shouted,

" Hey, babe! Your dog got hit by a truck? Again?"

Kim would walk over and slap him good for that comment if only her rage wasn't overwhelming her every cell. Kim, you're being silly. So what if Tommy made out on the toilet floor? Toilet floor? Couldn't they choose another place? Another more private place? At least closed the door! Geez!

He was making out in the bathroom. With MARISSA.

She had no reason or right to get angry. She knew that. But she also knew that she wanted nothing more than throwing something across the room or punching every guy she saw.

" Kim, are you okay?" someone grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. It was Jason. Jason _was_ a guy who coincidentally _was_ also Tommy's buddy. That's not a good combination. He'd better stay away from her.

" I'm fine," she answered tightly. " tell Zack I can't stay. I have… other things to do," before Jason could ask what that other things were, she turned on her feet and walked towards the front door, storming out of Zack's house.

She was angry, she was pissed. But why? Tommy's not her date, left alone her _boyfriend_. He could do whatever he wanted. This was a free country after all. But did he have to do that in front of her very eyes?

Kim was walking towards the toilet which was located on the end of the corridor. The door was open so it's no wonder if she got an eyeful of what they were doing. That was Tommy, she's so sure. And that auburn head peeked was undoubtedly, Marissa's.

Tommy and Marissa…Benjamin and Caroline…Oh, the world is spinning.

Couldn't control her body, Kim turning around and walking back downstairs like a zombie. She felt her stomach lurching.

She's not jealous. She didn't even like him as a _guy_. Then why would she feel like this? Like shit. Like Tommy had "_betrayed" _her.

'_The line between love and hate is very thin that you'll be surprise,' _was Trini's wisdom words once upon a time. Kim just laughed that time, but now she couldn't even crack a smile.

Had she really fallen in love with him? With Tommy?

Her words struck her like a tidal wave. She **had** fallen in love with him.

Oliver 1 - Hart 0.

**The Youth Center**

**- 08.30 pm**

" Hey, Ernie, do you see Kimberly?" Tommy leaned over the counter. The amiable guy lifted his head from a pile of bills.

" Hey, Tommy! Yeah, Kim's working on the beam,"

" Thanks," Tommy turned his head. Kim was on the beam; both of her arms were strecthed out. She took a deep gulp of air before doing some moves that Tommy reckoned was a very difficult stunt. And she did it perfectly and did an equally perfect dismount. Tommy slowly strode across the room.

Kim wasn't aware of the guy aproaching her. She took her bottle and had a long swallow, trying to burn down the images that kept flashing in her mind. Kim had been hoping that her routine would help her to forget that. Everytime she's on the beam, she felt like there's nobody else around. Just the small world of Kimberly Hart.

" That's a good one, but that doesn't explain why you stood me up," he said, stopping behind the petite purple clad leotard girl. She quickly swirled around to face him and her face turned white as soon as her eyes met his. " I was waiting for you for like an hour!"

Kim's heart thumped faster. " I told Jason. I thought he'd tell you,"

" Oh so you were there! Why didn't you come to me and tell me by yourself?" he demanded. After the little incident, they went downstairs and joined the others. Fifteen minutes passed and there's no sign of Kim. He's cool. Twenty minutes went to fourty five and then sixty. Sixty minutes of Beverly plastering was so not cool.

Kim bit the inside of her cheek so hard that she thought it'd be bleeding. It would be inapproproate for her to scream out what she wanted to say, which was,_' Oh, I see you! You're getting all cozy with Marissa! Do you want me to intrude in your passionate interlude?'_ instead she just sat on the floor and leaned back. " I thought you're gonna have a good time. There's Beverly there, she looks so hot tonight. And what about Marissa?" she looked at him in the eyes, expecting an awkward or surprise gaze in return.

" Where were you?"

" What are you doing here, Tommy?" Kim inquired impatiently. He supposed to be in the other side of the city. Not here, messing with her.

" I just got back from dropping Marissa off. She's not feeling well," Tommy unwittingly answered. Thankfully, there's nothing wrong with the punch. It seemed that Marissa had caught a cold. Kim tried to regain her composure. " when I drove passed the Youth Center, I got the feeling that I would find you here,"

" Oh, that's so sweet of you," Kim mumbled contemptuously. " you come here just to yell at me for not showing up? Well, now if you're done, you can go back to Marissa,"

" Can you stop talking about her?" Tommy could sense something was wrong. Of course, they always got into an argument whenever they're trying to communicate although he thought the issue had been off the table. Kim's face was red, her hands trembling slightly.

" I mean it, Tommy. Go to her, perhaps you can continue with what you did in Zack's," she pointed out helpfully, trying to refresh his memory.

It took him a few seconds to wrap his brain with her words. He raised his eyebrows. " You saw us?"

" I saw you," Kim heard herself whisper.

" That was an accident," he leaned down, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her to her feet. She tugged on her arms. He didn't have to explain, but he found himself couldn't stop talking. " I tripped and fell forwards. Nothing happened,"

" I don't care, even if something _did_ happen," there's a lump in her throat. Could she believe him? That he tripped and landed on Marissa? Snuggling his face on the crook of her neck in the process?

" You're jealous," he was taken aback, the realization finally kicking in.

" I'm not!"

" Yes, you are. That's why you couldn't stand watching us," he said again, threateningly walking forward.

" Always so confident, huh, Oliver? You think everygirl would drop to her knees in front of you?" she spat.

Tommy watched those lips of hers babbling and chattering incoherently and he only had one idea to shut those mouth up.

" You know what, talking to you is no use. I'd better-,"

" Then don't talk," He grabbed her shoulders roughly and pulled her to him. Her eyes grew bigger.

He kissed her.

* * *

**: Finally! They kissed in the twelvth chapter! It's quite a long journey to get here : ) Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to leave your reviews, they encourage me to update. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri : )**


	13. The wheel of misfortune

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : Not mine, I just own characters and places that are PR unrelated.**

**: Thank you so much for all your reviews and I'm sorry it took me sometimes to update. Life has been so so busy! Anyway, this is the thirteenth chapter, hope you enjoy! This chapter's title was taken from one of the episodes of MMPR season one that had great TK moments in it : )**

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**Chapter Thirteen: The Wheel of Misfortune**

**- The Geometry Class**

It's official. She hadn't talked to Tommy for a full forty eight hours. Not a single word or a single spat. She pretended that there's no Tommy Oliver alive in this world and she succedded. She had told Trini about 'that', knowing that her Asian friend would spread the words to the others so Kim didn't need to retell the aching story that she wanted to forget so bad.

If normally the geometry class was sucky already, now it's worse. It's torturing. Why's that? The answer was simple. Kim was in that class. And Tommy. AND Marissa. What made things worse was the fact that she could easily see the sight of Marissa talking, joking, nudging Tommy like he was her property. _Oh… Kimmie, you're evil!_

Tommy, despite everything, didn't make an attempt to stop her and that alone was enough toboil Kim's blood. Of course, since Kim had finally realized that she had fallen in love with him, she couldn't tolerate Marissa's talking, joking and nudging anymore.

After 'that' happened two days ago, Tommy had tried to talk to her at least ten times a day before stopping. Everytime she saw him approaching her, Kim would suddenly turn and get into a restroom or walk away as fast as she could get. Kim had given Jason, Zack and Billy a perfectly clear warning to 'back off' from this one. This was between her and Tommy.

'That', undisputably, was really something for her. Especially after she had realized her feelings towards him, 'that' meant a lot. But that was before he said something that hurt her feelings.

Kim was no master at geometry while Marissa was everything geometry related. Her mom probably read her a thick geometry textbook instead of fairytales when she was little. Well, one couldn't exactly read out geometry textbook alright, but still. Mr. Brown had been singing his praises for the last ten minutes and counting. Marissa, being an expert and all, had got the higher score at the last test. Kim? She didn't even want to think about it. Just say that she must get a private tutorial with Billy ASAP.

Marissa was pretty, tall, cute, sweet, clever, smart, funny… so it's no surprise if Tommy liked her. It's quite funny. Kim had never felt self consious because of a guy before, not even when she was head over heels in love with Max. No need to compare because everyone was different from each other and had their own plus and minus. It's too bad that Marissa's plusses were so much and her minuses were so little.

It's so not fair.

Tommy was laughing, showing that famous lopsided grin Kim had found to love, and turning his head slightly. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Kim glanced away.

Fine. He could do whatever he wanted. See if she cared.

It seemed like time went by in a slow motion. She eyed the clock every twenty seconds, sighing when it looked like the clock didn't move at all.

She tried to concentrate at the paperwork but found it nonetheless useless. She barely heard Mr. Brown's explanation and as cruel as this sounded, Kim could safely say that she was as dense as Bulk and Skull right now. After what seemed like an eternity, finally the bell rang and she nearly jumped from her seat.

" Well, that's the bell. Don't forget to do your homework and prepare for the test. Good afternoon, class," the forty year old man said with his baritone voice and took his satchel.

Everyone began to get out of the classroom and so did Kim. Like someone had rewinded the tape, at the time she stood up, Bulk running passed her, pushing her and nearly tackling her down. Her bag slid off her shoulder and since she didn't zipped it properly, her books fell out. She groaned. " Bulkie!"

" Sorry, Kimberly!"

Still grumbling, Kim squatted and collected all her books, putting it back into her bag. She was already on her feet when she saw that she wasn't the only one left. Tommy was still on his place. He had his back towards her so she couldn't make out what he did. She was torn. She could stay and wait for him to leave first or she could dash out of the room.

She chose the second option. Kim took a deep breath of air and walked as fast as her short feet could take her. When she was walking passed him, she could faintly smell his aftershave and her brain seemed to stop functioning.

" Kim, wait up!" he called out. Of course, she ignored him and did NOT waiting for him. She felt something, his hand, on her shoulder, turning her around.

Kim didn't want to break the record just yet, so she simply pulled her arm, ready to walk away. He caught her wrist.

" Kim, I know you don't want to talk to me, but-," he sighed, releasing his grip and tugged his flanel shirt before taking it off and handing it to her. She looked at him suspiciously. " maybe you want to… put this on,"

Kim stared at the grey fabric. "What?" first word.

" Or tie it around your waist, it's up to you,"

" Why? Look, Tommy, is it somekind of your trick or what? Because I won't-,"

" Kim, trust me, okay?" he put his hands on her shoulders.

" Why should I trust you? Or put it on?"she asked all in a rush. Kim swore he was blushing. His eyes moved from hers. " what?"

" You have a stain on your jeans," he spoke quickly, still not looking at her in the eyes. Kim was slow this morning, this afternoon so it took her sometimes to get his meaning across.

" What stain? Ketchup stain or-," her eyes widened in horror. That early cramp…She wanted to die. Please. Please. _Please_, _kill me!_

" Yeah," Tommy was relief that he didn't have to actually say the words to her. It's already embarrassing enough for him, not to mention for Kim as well. Her face was red and she looked like she wanted to cry.

Oh GOD! She couldn't believe it! This **couldn't** be happening! She **couldn't** have her _period_ right now! Not here! NOT with **HIM** here!

The silence that swept in made the situation get more awkward. There's no sound whatsoever. No one said a word.

" It's okay," Tommy gazed down at her. Kim looked like a lost child. To lighten up the mood, he said," it's not like you've never done anything that's more embarrassing than this," her eyes glared sharply at him. "**or** me at that matter. Embarrassing is _our_ way of life lately,"

_He kissed her. _

_Tommy didn't know why. Was that just a sudden impulse to clamp her mouth or because he wanted to? Honestly, he completely realized that he despised her, or so he thought. However, after weeks passed and she seemed to always be there almost everyday, every minute, every moment of his life, it's kind of hard not to notice her. Really noticed her, not just thinking about how annoying she was, how such a brat she was… _

_He wouldn't, WOULDN'T ever say this out loud, but he got to admit that how annoying, irritating and bothersome person she was, her company was somehow soothing. It's nice to have her around. A sane girl who wasn't afraid to speak up her mind OR punch him good. Never tried to impress him but still could gain his attention for who she really was. Sometimes he would miss her chattiness and just simply gaze down at the empty spot beside him where she usually stood when she's busy doing some backflips or was away with Trini to do a girl weekly shopping. _

_Her eyebrows formed a charming frown when she's talking about Marissa. Before he knew what'd struck him, he snatched her and pressed his lips against her. He kissed her. In the middle of the Youth Center. Okay, so the place wasn't that crowded but still there're eyes that watching them. Ernie's. Richie's. _

_Her petite body was rigid if only for a second before he felt her kissing him back. She did, didn't she? She's not the first girl he had ever kissed but at that time, it did feel like she was. His hands moved to wind up around her waist when she abruptly broke the kiss and pushed him back. Kim didn't give him time to recover from the kiss and delivered another bomshell. _

_She threw her fist once again with a pent up emotion and this time she deliberately forgot about the not- punching- on-the- face-rule because that small and powerful fist landed exactly on his right jaw. It threw him off balance but he managed to grab her shoulder at the last second. She shrunk it away right away like a hot coal had touched her._

" _What was that for?" he demanded, touching the rough spot that would probably bruise the next day. _

_Kim's body was shaking, her fist clenched and unclenching impatently. It took all her willpower not to deliver another punch to that face. " What are you doing?" she shot back, using the back of her hand to wipe on her mouth. She could still feel the taste of his lips linger on hers. _

_What it did look like? He rubbed his jaw once again before leaning down, glaring at her. " You need something to shut that mouth of yours up, Kim-ber-ly. And it definitely worked," Uh oh, he just put more and more fuel to the fire and that surely didn't help a bit._

_Kim bit her lips so hard, her doe eyes never wavering from his. Her whisper came out coldly. _

" _I hate you,"_

Tommy took the shirt from her hand and tied it around her petite waist. " There, maybe you can go to Trini to fix things up," said Tommy like she was a five year old girl and he's her kindergarten teacher who sent her back to play with her friends.

Her face only grew redder. Tommy waved his hand in front of her face. " Hello, earth to Kim?"

" I hate you," came her reply. For the first time in some moments.

Tommy blinked. " Good, you're back to your oldself. It's not a big problem, Kim. At least I was the one who saw it,"

" If you think I'm going to thank you…," she smirked, leaning over until her warm breath tickled his face. "then you're so wrong, Mister,"

" Whatever," he said evenly and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her closer.

" What are you doing?"

" You're finally talking to me," Tommy grinned in victory. She looked good in his clothes. " and not just a ' _yes, no and it's up to you, Tommy_' thing," he imitated her voice, his eyes full with mirth. "but a whole complete sentence,"

" That doesn't mean I have forgiven you, Oliver," Kim stabbed her finger in front of his face.

" I know," his face inched closer to her face and it was so easy for him to lean over a little and their lips would meet for the second time.

Man… last week he was on his room, figuring out new plans to annoy and tease her to death. Right now, seven days later, he had his arm around her shoulder and was 4 centimeters away from kissing her.

" Tommy!" he turned his face and had to stiffle an annoyed sigh when he saw Marissa standing in the doorway. Her hands hugged the textbooks to her chest, surprises glowing from her eyes. Kim's playful smile diminished as if the wind had wiped it away. She quietly slipped out of his grasp but Tommy didn't let her go far.

" Hey, Marissa. What's up?" his voice was more impatient than thrilled.

" You know, I thought we could go to the next class together," Marissa's hazel eyes looked apologetically at Kim. " and I want to continue my story,"

Her story. A very _interesting_ story about her family's ranch and how she had planned to go there for the next vacation. Yawn.

" Oh, how cute! I'm so happy to know that you two are getting along _so well_," Kim said cheerfully, displaying a bright bogus smile. Tommy was impressed. The sarcasm almost didn't show. He rolled his eyes when Marissa's respond was,

" Yes, we are, aren't we, Tom?"

Kim looked up at him and spoke sweetly. _Too_ sweet. " You don't want to make her waiting, do you, _Tom_?"

" Kim-,"

The white apparel girl didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. Kim pushed him towards Marissa. " Have fun, you two,"

**- Kimberly**

Kim walked out of the mall with a bright blue plastic bag on her hand. After school this afternoon, she had asked Jason to drop her off at the Angel Grove Mall. It's a pity that Trini couldn't come with her. She said something about dentist's appoinment. Kim winced slightly. Honestly, she hated going to the dentist or any doctor of that matter. Fortunately, despite Kim's fondness of sweets, she had a perfect set of teeth.

Jason, as her bestfriend since so long time ago, knew that going to the mall with her was not the smart thing to do. Besides, he had class to teach. Billy? No offense, but no. Zack? His aunt had promised him twenty bucks to babysit his three year old nephew.

It's a shame, because her only attention was just to buy a new leotard. Surprisingly, she actually just bought that one item only. She even blatantly ignored the big sale announcement that Stardust, her number one place to shop, threw. At this rare occasion, none of her friends tagging along.

Thinking about Tommy and Marissa had killed her appetite for _shopping_. The world would probably end tomorrow. All the while, her mind flew to the previous day.

" _Yeah, Tri, I know, but my Mom suddenly told me that she has a dinner reservation at Franco," Kim said to the phone while her free hand was busy combing her hair. She stood in front of her closet, looking through all her clothes collection._

" _Franco? That new Italian restaurant?" _

_Kim grabbed her skirt from the closet and threw it to the bed. She bit her lip, observing the clothes she had chosen. A nice purple blouse and a white knee length skirt. Nah… She walked back to the closet and picked another one, a beautiful white spaghetti straps dress her Mom gave her for her last year birthday present."Yup. She just told me like twenty minutes ago and she said the reservation was made for seven thirty," she glanced at the clock on the nightstand and shrieked. " geez! It's five fifty already! Trini, I'll call you later, 'K?"_

" _It's alright. Have fun, Kim," said Trini before ending the conversation. Kim put the receiver back on its place and quickly scrambled to the bathroom._

_**Franco **_

**_-7.24 p.m._**

" _Wow, this place is great," Kim mumbled appreciatively, looking around at the small, elegant yet cozy restaurant. A young man in a black suit walked towards them with a polite smile. Caroline said something and he took them to the table in the corner that had a window view. _

_Kim was too busy admiring the cool interior that she didn't even realize that they had reached their table. _

" _Carol!" a man's voice caught her attention and Kim tore her eyes from the chandelier. _

" _Ben," her mom's respond was to lean over and kiss the man on the cheek. All of a sudden Kim felt it's hard to swallow. Her body went cold. She threw a startled glance in her mother direction._

_Ben! Benjamin OLIVER aka TOMMY's father. _

_Her mom didn't say **a** word about having dinner with the OLIVER family. _

_Uh oh…_

" _This must be Kimberly," Ben turned to Kim after giving Caroline a hug. Her mom looked at her with a smile. Kim couldn't do anything beside acting like a good, dutiful daughter. _

" _Hi, Mr. Oliver," the name sounded strange in her ears. Where was he? There's no Tommy here. Oh, good. No! Not good. What if the purpose of this dinner was that they're going to announce that they're getting married a week from now? NO!_

" _Hi, Kimberly," Kim froze. Before Ben got the chance to respond, another voice, Ben's son's voice answered her. She forced herself to spin around. _

_There he was. His son. Tommy Oliver stood tall in front of her in his dead black tux. His hair was tied back into a low pony tail. He looked… good. For a jerk._

" _Hey," _

" _Alright, let's sit," Ben broke the awkwardness between his son and 'Carol''s daughter. As a gentleman, he pulled the chair for Caroline before sitting on his own seat which was across her. _

_Kim didn't expect Tommy to act as gentleman as his father was, so she walked around to the chair beside her mom and seated herself. After everybody was seated, the waiter came and for ten minutes they browsed the menus. _

" _So," Ben said after the waiter left with their order. Kim straightened her back, trying not to stare at Tommy who sat exactly in front of her. Thinking about him, she still hadn't returned his shirt yet. After the once again embarrassing moment that involved a 'stain on her jeans', they barely talked normally. They're back to the two and three syllables conversation. Both Tommy and Kim did not bring up the kiss topic and thankfully, so did Jason and the gang." you two go to the Angel Grove high, right?" _

" _Yes," Kim said after glancing at Tommy. He nodded. Ben seemed satisfied. _

" _It's a good thing that you two are friends," Ben continued and Kim took the glass of water and took a quick swallow. She needed to wash down her nervousness. _

" _Well, you might say that, Mr. Oliver," Kim replied. Please, don't tell her it would be like this until the dessert was served! _

" _Please, call me Ben," he said with a smile." then you must know if Tommy has a girlfriend already or not," this, successfully made both Kim and Tommy choked on their drinks._

" _Dad!" Tommy protested. _

_Like father like son. Their similarities were clearly there. Kim thought for a while. An image of Marissa popped in her head and that somehow upset her. Tommy shot her a 'don't-you-dare' look which she returned with a small smile. _

_Kim looked at the dark haired man. He had big brown eyes, just like Tommy's and a warm friendly smile. " Oh yeah, talking about Tommy's girlfriend…," Kim would definitely make the most of it! She grinned wickedly at the cautious Tommy then went on, __" Tommy has his own fanclub in school," Tommy kicked her lightly under the table. Kim kicked him back, harder. " but only one girl caught his eyes," _

" _Oh, really?" Caroline asked, exchanging glances with Ben who looked mighty interesting. _

" _Yup. Her name is Marissa. Tall, a redhead, a master at geometry, sweet smile… just the perfect girl for Tommy," what Kim really wanted to say was: her name was Kimberly. Short, brown eyes, not a master at geometry and not a perfect girl for Tommy. _

_Kim completely realized how pathetic she was. _

" _She's not my girlfriend," Tommy stated firmly in that same quiet tone, locking his gaze at her._

" _Well, well, Kim, do you remember that guy, what's his name?" Caroline tapped the table. Kim's eyes widened. _

" _What guy?" Tommy asked, smirking at Kim. _

_Caroline shook her head. " That guy. He's in France… oh, no, Germany right now," _

_How could she be so stupid all those times ago? Did she really tell her mom about Max? Kim chuckled dryly. " I'm so starving. Where is that food? Maybe I should go and-,"_

" _Oh, Kim, we want to know about this guy, don't we?" Tommy asked innocently. Kim kicked him again. This time he winced. _

" _Ah! I remember. Max, his name is Max. Right, Kim?" Caroline's eyes looked at Kim with as much eagerness as a mother could have. " yes, I'm sure his name is Max. He's Kim's senior and had gone to Germany after graduating. Kim had it real bad,"_

_Ben laughed and Tommy, too, was laughing although his eyebrows frowned a little. _

" _I didn't know that," he said, leaning back against the comfy chair. _

" _Why should you?" Kim retorted. _

_Kim's mother cut them off with the story, the fact actually, that made Kim blush to the root of her hair. "I remember that time, after he left for Germany, Kim cried for almost a week straight and didn't want to eat,"_

_Caroline said that in front of Tommy. She's Kim's mother. Why, WHY did she have to say that? And it's not a week! Just three horrible days. The reason why Kim's reducing her portion was because she needed to slack some weight for the gymnastics competition!_

" _Wow, Kim. That's something," Tommy's voice was lacking of interest. His smile didn't reach his eyes. They were dark and cold._

Thankfully, after that the waiter came with their food and that's the end of the humiliation night of Kimberly Hart. She had to admit that Tommy did look so handsome in black.

That was coming from the mouth of someone who once upon a time ever said that Tommy looked like a thug.

How about the kiss? Did he mean it? But he said he just wanted to stop her babbling. Whatever he said, that kiss was... amazing.

Kim continued her small trip towards the bus stop, her hand playing with the plastic bag. Kim asked anyone from the gang except for Tommy to accompany her to the mall. It's just painful to see him.

However, if she did ask him, would he say yes? If he said yes, would he get all grumpy like some of her friends' boyfriends?

Kim. He was NOT your boyfriend!

Fine. He was not her boyfriend. And would never be.

Hopefully he would be a nice, gentle guy. Never complained and even offered to carry all her stuffs. Kim was walking to cross the street when her eyes caught a pair who was walking not to far from her. She smiled. Just like her wish, the guy's hands were full with colorful plastic bags.

She stopped dead on her track. She felt like somebody had punched her hard on the stomach. Her eyes travelled north to see an awfully familiar long brown hair. The girl trotted beside him turned her head slightly, showing Kim the face of Marissa Smith.

Still incredulous, Kim heard a loud honk and she snapped back to reality. She turned her head and gasped when she saw a red truck drive fast towards her with high speed.

_Tommy…_

* * *

**: That's the end of chapter thirteenth. Kim's misfortune and the number thirteen. Such a coincidence, I just realized that ; ) Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to leave your reviews, let me know what you think. Your reviews make me very happy and they encourage me to update. NO FLAME! **

**- Yuuri : )**


	14. Finally, feelings development?

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I just own characters and places that aren't PR related.**

**: Thank you for everyone who has reviewed, I appreciate all your reviews so much. Life hasn't been as hectic as the last few weeks so hopefully I'll update more often. This is the forteenth chapter, hope you like it. Enjoy! ; )**

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**Chapter Fourteen: Finally, feelings development?**

" How's Kim?" Jason practically yanked Zack's collar, demanding for an answer which better be a good one.

" The doctor's still checking her, Man. They haven't told us anything," the American African boy said gloomily. An extraordinary upset and grim expression masked his usual cheerful feature. He patted Jason's back. He's still in his red karate uniform with a black bandana wrapped around his forehead.

" I have contacted Kimberly's mother. Ms. Hart is on her way to the hospital," Billy informed. The beautiful Asian girl sat beside the genius, leaning her head on his shoulder to seek out some supports. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

" Tommy, at this rate, sooner or later you'll bore a hole on the floor," Marissa said, watching as the white clad boy walking in a small circle in the middle of the corridor.

The statement didn't stop him from continuing his pacing. Tommy felt cold inside. That was Kimberly in there and his brain found difficulties to wrap itself around it.

_There's a loud and long honk which followed by a loud shriek. And another one and another one. He swirled around swiftly. Acting on instinct, Tommy dropped Marissa's platic bags and ran towards the crowds that had started to form. There's just something in that scream that was so awfully familiar to him._

_He nearly fainted when he saw Kimberly seemed lifeless body lying on the street. That face, that familiar pink T-shirt and those caramel tresses. How could he not notice that it was her? Even with the streak of blood flowed down the side of her face. She was on her back and her eyes were closed._

" _Call the ambulance!" someone shouted. Tommy tried to run through the mass of people. _

" _Excuse me, let me through!" after struggling for a moment, Tommy managed to walk through the crowd and he knelt beside Kim. " oh God, Kim. Somebody, call for an ambulance!" he almost yelled. His heart drummed wildly inside his chest._

" _Oh, Kim…," Marissa whimpered softly, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. _

_Tommy touched Kim's pale cheek gently. He wanted to take her into his arms but knew that he couldn't, shouldn't, move her. _

From there everything was like somekind of a blur. The ambulance arrived and they took Kim to the Angel Grove Memorial Hospital. Tommy went with her while Marissa followed them with her car. He held Kim's hand on the way there for what seemed like an eternity. Although the paramedics told him that they had her under control but it didn't keep bad thoughts away from his mind.

" It's my fault," Trini muttered, cutting Tommy's bewilderment reverie. He turned his head but not stopping his pace. " if only I went with her, this wouldn't be happening,"

" It's not your fault," Jason walked closer and stopped in front of her. He put his large hands on her trembling shoulders. " it's that bastard's fault and he'll pay,"

Tommy's eyes darkened at that. From the police, he collected that although there were some eyewitnesses who said that Kim was the one who walked and stopped dead on her track without paying any attention to the road, further investigation also proofed that the truck driver was appeared to be drunk.

Marissa got to her feet and started towards Tommy. She stopped exactly in front of the long haired boy, effectively blocking him from making another round of pacing. He asked impatiently," What?"

" Tommy, you have to calm down," she grabbed his arm and dragged him to a vacant seat, pushing him to sit down. " you've begun to make us dizzy,"

" That's Dr. Kirk," Jason muttered under his breath and abandoned his seat under a second. The others soon followed. " how's Kim, Doctor?" Jason asked, his dark colored eyes searching the young doctor's face.

Dr. Kirk took off his glasses, offering a tight smile at the anxious teenagers in front of him. " Kimberly is alright. We'll move her to her room in a moment. She experiences a light concussion and her left wrist is cracked. Bruised ribs and she got eight stitches on her temple,"

Tommy swallowed a lump in his throat, breathing out a hard sigh of relief. She's alright, she's fine. Her wrist was cracked, there're some bruised ribs, her temple was wounded, Tommy cringed when he remembered the streak of blood on her face, and she had a light concussion. But she's _okay_. She'd live and that what's counted.

Zack cringed at the doctor's result. " Are you sure she will be okay? That sounds just… terrible,"

" It will take time for her to recover, but I guarantee you, she will be just as good as before," Dr. Kirk said soothingly. " if you need anything, I'll be in my office,"

" Thank you, Dr. Kirk," Billy clasped the doctor's hand tightly, saying his gratitude.

" Can we see her?" Trini asked in concern.

" Sure, just one at a time. She needs a lot of rest," the doctor smiled and nodded before turning and walking away.

" Oh God! Jason!" Tommy turned his head and saw Kimbery's mother _and_ his Dad rush towards the small group. Jason was quick to meet them halfway.

" It's okay, Ms. Hart," Jason tried to calm her down. He shot a quick look at Benjamin and returned his attention back to the woman. " the Doctor has come with her result. She'll be fine,"

Tears came down Caroline's face. Jason was repeating Dr. Kirk's explanation to Kimberly's dead worried Mom. Tommy knew that they'd got to be worried sick of Kim's condition. Jason was already like a big brother she'd never had and well, Caroline was her mother. Tommy glanced at them for a moment before turning to his Dad.

" Hey, Dad," he started weakly. The doctor had assured them that Kim would be alright but it only did a little to put his mind at ease.

Ben patted his son back. " Are you okay?"

His reply was a simple and dishonest, " I am," when actually he felt like he was going to be sick. He wasn't feeling fine in the slightest. Not until he saw her, talked to her and made sure by himself that she was indeed okay.

Ms. Hart was the first one who came into the room to see Kim, soon followed by Trini and Jason. When the two bestfriends finally exited the room, Billy walked over to Tommy and smiled encouragingly. Tommy looked up from his place.

" Why don't you go inside and see Kimberly?" he offered sympathetically, making Tommy's eyes bulged.

" You go first, Man," Tommy forced himself to say. As much as he wanted to storm into the room, he realized that it wasn't his place. Billy knew Kim since they were kids and so did Zack.

Zack moved to Billy's side, the first grin he showed after he heard about the accident appear on his face. "Go, bro. You know you want to,"

Damn. Was he really that transparent? " Well, if you say so..,"

Jason grabbed the still reluctant boy's shoulders, lifting him off the hard and uncomfortable waiting room chair. The martial artist gave him a shove with a playful smile tugged on his lips. " She wants to see you too," he added with a wink. Now, after knowing that his little sis was far from danger, he could display that smile once again.

" She does?" Tommy repeated, sounding more desperate than he would have liked. His face flushed red when everyone gave him a knowing smile. Even Kim's mother nugded his Dad's arm.

" Yes, she does, Tommy," Trini said, emphasizing each word.

" Are you sure?" he asked again, much to his friends' impatience growls.

" Do you want me to kick your butt down there, Tommy?" Zack said threateningly. And he would if he must.

Tommy looked at Jason who gave him a nod. He shrugged and walked closer to Kim's door. Room 165. He pushed the door knob and it opened slowly. He slipped silently into the room.

The room was not too big but not too small either. The soft blue painted wall gave him a warm feeling and the small form lying on the bed near the window warmed him even more.

Kim was in a pink hospital gown, kinda fitting her fondness of the color. Her eyes were closed and her head was bandaged. Tommy looked at her as her chest moved up and down constantly. He released a breath of relief and cast a lingering look at her before deciding to make his presence known.

" Hey Kim,"

When her eyes fluttered open, showing the soft brown eyes, Tommy was already on the side of the bed. She seemed to be a little disoriented if only for a while. She was startled and she moved her head which was not a smart move. Kim hissed in pain.

" Don't move," Tommy said, touching her shoulder lightly. " the doctor said you have a light concussion,"

" What are you doing here?" she asked a bit harshly and frowned but stopped when it increased the dizziness.

At normal condition, Tommy probably would try to come up with something to match her words but not this time. He sat on the edge of the bed.

" Who said you can stay?" she responded hastily, her eyes unusually steely.

" Kim, how are you feeling?" he ignored her previous sentence.

" You're the one who brought me to the hospital, huh?" she said it firmly, not answering his question. "Jason told me,"

" Yeah, I was around the place when the accident happened," he explained. Kim's mood seemed to go down the hill even more. " Kim?"

" Where's Marissa?" she asked directly, trying to keep her emotion in check. What an ironi. She felt like a total idiot, her body was sore from head to toe and her heart ached so bad. Seeing Tommy adding a lot of pressures and she didn't need it right now.

" She went home-," then he cocked his eyebrow, perplexed. " how do you know she was here?"

' _Because before the truck hit me, I saw you and her together! You two were there in the'Crime Scene'!'_ she screamed in her mind. She knew she should hate him. And yes, she did hate him. Because of him now she was lying on the hospital bed, feeling completely useless. Plus according to Dr. Kirk, she couldn't have the decent sleep that she'd longed to have because of this damn concussion. Tommy's fault. Tommy's fault for making her thunderstruck until she didn't notice the truck coming. Tommy's fault for going out with Marissa.

" Well, you two seem to be so comfortable around each other lately," she began. " so it's just right to assume that if you're here, so is Marissa. I'm right, aren't I?"

" Come on, Kim. You're being ridiculous here. Why you always keep saying that I like her? I'm not, okay? How many times do I have to tell you?" Tommy was saying and he crossed his arms.

Her head hurt and had him here multiplied the pain by one hundred times. " Tommy, I'm so tired. I'll appreciate it so much if you leave the room right now," that's rude, she knew. But it should work.

Tommy looked like he was going to say something but closed his mouth at the last second. He sighed. "Okay, Billy and Zack will come to see you,"

Kim mumbled, closing her eyes. She felt him slipping off the bed and the next thing she knew, something warm brushed against her forehead softly. Kim opened her eyes almost instantly. Tommy was leaning over, he had both of his hands on the side of her bed, practically trapping her. Well, it's not like she could go anywhere.

" If only my wrist is not broken, the first thing I'm going to do is punching your face hard," she stated faintly. Though there's a funny feeling in her stomach, knowing that he just kissed her.

He smiled that Tommy smile. It's a mix between smirk and the lopsided grin he used to wear around her. Finally he pushed himself up. " You do that, as soon as you're out of this hospital," looking at the full of life Kimberly lying on the bed was distressing to say the least. " and it's not broken. Just cracked,"

" I promise you that,"

Tommy had to smile at the stubborn determination expression on her face. He looked at Kim. Pale and tired face, all bruised and scratched, but she's alright. Just like Dr. Kirk had said. " I'm so glad that you're okay. When I saw you I thought-,"

" You thought I was dead," she finished for him with small voice. After she woke up she had been talking to several people and it had started to drain her energy. " I'm sorry that I'm not, Oliver,"

He smiled bitterly. Yeah, he knew she's gonna be just fine.

_**The next day**_

_**- Angel Grove Memorial**_

" Tommy's not coming?" Trini asked while she and the others walked up the stone stairs. The cold air of the air conditioner greeted them, as well as the hospital smell that Trini disliked.

" He has classes to teach," Jason answered, grinning when he remembered Tommy's expression after Jason reminded him about his karate classes. The poor boy was unquestionably had forgotten completely about them. Talking about Swiss cheese memory, Tommy's the man. Tommy looked like a kid who got his candy stolen. " he'll be here later,"

" I can't stay too long," Zack said when they're waiting for the elevator. " my Mom has asked me to babysit Corey again tonight. She and Aunt Crystal have to attend a baby convention in Stone Canyon,"

His friends laughed. While Zack was good with kids, to baby-sit a three year old almost every night was not a very appealing thing to do.

Caroline Hart welcomed them with a tired but happy smile. She told them to get inside while she freshened up a little.

" Hey, Kimberly!" Zack glided smoothly into the room. " glad to see you, girlfriend,"

Kim turned her head and smiled at her friends. Last night had been hell. Her head seemed like it wanted to explode and the fact that she had to be wakened up every hour or so made it worse. Fortunately, she's feeling better now. " Hi guys,"

" So, how are you feeling, Kim?" Billy said, walking around to the other side of Kim's bed.

" I can't wait until I can get out of this damn place," all four happy faces looked down at her but she couldn't help but searching for the fifth face.

" Don't worry, Kim. Tommy will be here soon," Jason said, trading amused glances with Zack.

" I didn't say anything!" Kim protested.

" Easy, Hon," Trini touched Kim's good hand.

" We're just informing you. That's all," Zack pointed out, beaming widely. Kim narrowed her eyes. She wouldn't tell them that the reason she got hit was because of seeing Tommy and Marissa walking together. It sounded a little bit silly, even for her.

" How's school?" Kim changed the subject to the less self-embarrassing topic.

" Tons and tons of homework! Tell you what, those teachers are all crazy!" Zack groaned and Jason nodded his head in agreement. Billy and Trini just smiled. Kim understood. Billy and homework sometimes was just inseparable. Well, homework. That's what they got as students.

" Then at least there's a good side effect for being in this place," Kim joked.

Jason was the last person to stay. The smirk he gave Kim right before he closed the door left her with confusion for some moments until her mother came in with a huge grin on her face. Kim somehow got this very bad feeling of what made the smile.

" Sweety, there's someone here to see you," Caroline declared.

It's obvious, Kim thought. And she really had a good idea who's that person gonna be. Especially after that smirk Jason flashed her. Had she tried to remember the karate class' schedules Jason mentioned sometimes ago… she got a good intuition why Jason decided to leave ten minutes before six.

When a bashful Tommy came in, the question was answered already. Kim made a mental note to send Jason to his doom once he came for a visit. His face was red and Kim knew what might be the case. Her mother just knew some ways to make people embarrassed, in a good way. This time, it's easy to tell. Well, it's kind of hard to hide such a big bouquet of flowers.

" Your timing is perfect, Tommy," Kim's mother said after taking her purse from the table beside the bed. Kim's eyes widened. She couldn't leave her with him! " I have to take care of something, will you accompany Kim for a while?"

The only thing she had to take care was Kimberly! She's her daughter! What any other thing could be more important than that?

" Sure,"

" I'll be right back, Honey," Ms. Hart promised before leaving.

And then there were Tommy and Kimberly. Kim chewed her lips, not too sure what to say. Finally Tommy made the first move.

" Hey, how're you doing?" he asked, walking closer to the bed.

" Better," at least he came alone. Not with the redhead slash tall slash gemometry master Marissa. Kim was curious about the shopping trip Tommy and Marissa had yesterday. But since she didn't tell Tommy that she saw them, it must be kept as a mystery. Asking could tease his suspiciousness and she didn't want that.

Tommy tugged at his ponytail and reached out the hand that's holding the flower. " This, um, for you,"

" Thanks," she murmured back. She accepted the beautiful bouquet of flowers and inhaled the scent in. She couldn't help but smiling at the man on the side of her bed. " this is really pretty,"

" Sure it is," Tommy chuckled and suddenly asked, " do you remember that time on the Covenant Island?"

Of course, who could forget that awful experience? That was definitely one of the most embarrassing and frustrating events that had ever happened in her life. " definitely. You said my head was harder than a frozen pipe that day," Kim quipped.

Tommy rolled his eyes. " Oh, said someone who hit my head with an apple," the memory was still fresh as if it happened yesterday.

" Not to forget you laughed at my purse!" Kim continued, recalling his expression when she took out the Hello Kitty purse.

" I said it was cute, didn't I?"

" So? It still didn't make up for the other things you did,"

" You haven't returned my hankie yet," Tommy shot back. Kim blushed red. Oh yeah, she really really forgot about that one. " and my shirt as well. You owe me, big time,"

" Oh, forget it! What's the deal with it anyway?" she asked. His grin seemed to become wider. " what?"

Tommy took the liberty to seat on the edge of the not-so-comfortable bed. He ignored her glare. " The reason I bought you this," he touched the flowers with his fingers. " is because I pity you,"

" Excuse me?" did she hear him right? Pity?

When he answered, his eyes were fulled with laughter. " Do you remember our room?"

Kim fought the blush that threatened to break free when the words ' our room' slipped out of his mouth. Then the image of the horrid room number 4 clouded her mind. " It's just so nasty. That motel, what it's called? Beach Wave Inn? Remember that cockroach?" she made a face.

" How about the firefly?" he clearly remembered about his attempted prank that led Kim to shriek on the top of her voice and storm into his arms. The first time he found out that his early guess was wrong. Her petite figure was perfect.

" Oh, don't go there!" Kim growled.

" Your reaction disappointed me, Kim," he shook his head.

" My reaction?"

" Yeah, you just said,' oh, thanks, Tommy. This is really pretty'. I was expecting the shocking shriek that you did when you saw that daisy in our room," he shrugged casually, still regarded the room number 4 as '_our room'_. Did he realize that it could be taken more than one way? " that was just one flower and I brought you a handful of daisies!"

Kim vividly remembered about it. Her eyes looked up at him with wonder. " That what you meant by pitying me?"

He nodded, beaming. " Well, you acted like you had never seen a daisy before. So I got you a handful of it,"

Kim was in awe. Tommy didn't have the best memory but he actually remembered about it. She smiled sincerely. " Thanks, I guess,"

Tommy tousled her hair. " Good,"

**_Angel Grove High, a few weeks later_**

_**- Kimberly**_

Kim stood against the locker, sighing. On her right, Jenny had been gushing about Tommy for the last fifteen minutes. Jennifer, her ex-teammates in the squad was also Thomas Oliver's fans. Why that didn't surprise Kim? She thought the 'Oliver Fever' would evaporate as the time went by. She was wrong.

" I mean, look at those eyes, so beautiful! Don't you think so, Kim? I was walking to my next class when suddenly someone pushed me and all my books fell. Tommy helped me to pick them up!"

" Those eyes are just eyes," Kim responded quietly, shuffling her feet.

" And.. that earing is so sexy!" Jenny went on. She put some textbooks back into her locker and put on some lip gloss.

" Maybe you haven't noticed this before, Jen," Kim tutted, eyeing the scar on her arm. She still had to wear the cast for sometime. Most people might be relief if their left hands were the ones that cracked. But for a left-handed Kimberly, it's a total bummer. " but almost every guy in this building wears one. Kevin even has three! Does that make him sexy? No,"

Jenny scoffed, looking sharply at the shorter girl but not stopping her praises for the one and only Tommy Oliver. " Then his body. His abs, that steely chest!"

It was so hard not to gag at it. Tommy brilliantly chose that time to walk passed them. _Shirtless_. His body was slightly covered with sweat. Kim gave him a disapproving look and rolled her eyes at the mischievous wink Jason sent her. All the while, Jenny's eyes nearly fell off their sockets.

" _Open your mouth," Tommy demanded. Kim involuntarily followed. She opened her mouth and Tommy fed her the disgusting hospital food. She chewed slowly. Since her mother hadn't returned yet when the nurse came with her dinner, Tommy had willingly offered himself to do the honor. He blatantly ignored the fact that Kim's right hand was still working. _

" _This is gross," Kim grimaced. Tommy pushed another spoon of the bitter mashed potatoes into her opened mouth. _

" _The nurse said you have to at least eat the half of it," _

" _Can I just have the watermelon?" _

" _Later,"_

" _I don't need you to babysit me," this was embarrassing. If Jason saw this, he'd tease her about this until the end of the world. " I can eat by myself, you know," _

" _Open up," he opened his mouth when Kim stubbornly pursed her lips together. She stiffled her laugh. Tommy looked so silly. _

" _Now who looks like a mother hen?" she said gently, recalling his old comment about her being like a mother hen. _

" _I'll take that as a compliment," was his answer and he continued to feed her." Kim, tell me about him," _

" _About who?" _

" _That germany guy. Max?" he handed her a glass of water. _

" _What about him?" _

" _What did he look like?" _

" _Max?" _

" _No, your grandfather," Tommy piped up. " of course him! Who else I was talking about anyway?"_

" _Well, for starter, he's cute," so cute that he could make her knees buckled just by smiling at her. " he has beautiful hazel eyes," _

" _Yeah, I can imagine," _

_Kim closed her eyes. It's not so difficult to picture Max Winthrop in her mind. " short spiked dark hair," _

" _Okay, okay, I get the picture," Tommy put the half empty plate on the table. His expression was hard to read. _

" _You're the one asking," she reminded him, wiping her mouth. _

" _I was," he nodded. " I'm just thinking," _

" _About?" she left her sentence hanging, waiting for him to continue._

" _I was thinking about how this Max guy looks like me," he said confidently. That caught her off guard. He leered. _

" _Who?" Kim asked between giggles._

" _Me. There're some similarities between us. Me and Max," _

" _Who asked?" Kim finished innocently and giggled when he pouted. " sorry. Continue," _

_Tommy cleared his throat loudly. "Well, he's cute. I **am** cute though I much prefer the term handsome more. He has dark hair. Me too. My eyes aren't hazel, but my dark brown eyes are definitely better. Giving that kind of melancholy impressions. And it always helps with my puppy dog looks," _

_Kim couldn't hold back any longer and she bursted out laughing. Those words tickled her to no end. She laughed so hard until her stomach hurt. Kim wiped the tears from her eyes. " Tommy, you really are crazy!" _

" Kimberly, are you listening?" Jenny waved her hand in front of Kim's smiling face. It snapped her back. She blinked.

" Yeah, of course, I am," Jenny thought the smile Kim wore was because of her story.

" Do you know that next week is his birthday?"

" Tommy's birthday?"

" Yes, next Friday to be exact,"

Kim grinned. Tommy's birthday… That should be interesting!

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**: That's the end of chapter 14. Kimberly was alright and there'****re some improvements in Tommy and Kim's relationship. Thank you for reading and please don't forget to leave your reviews. Your reviews make me happy and they encourage me to update. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri : )**


	15. Calamity Kimberly

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything but all PR unrelated are mine.**

**: Thank you for everyone who has reviewed! I tried to finish this sooner but the past few days have been crazy. Anyway, this is the new chapter, hope you enjoy ; )**

**Chapter fifteen : Calamity Kimberly**

_Tommy walked casually into the Angel Grove High School hallway. He had come early today, that's quite an accomplishment. _

_He walked towards his locker, spotting the others had been waiting for him. Jason was eyeing his watch while Zack was trying to entertain Trini with his dance moves. Then Tommy realized that the gang wasn't completed yet. Billy was missing and so was Kimberly. _

_It was when he heard something that grab his attention._

" _.. yeah, poor Kim. Today's not her day," at the first mention of **her** name, Tommy's steps automatically got slower. He turned his head slightly. Suze was talking to a tall blonde, who he thought was also Kim's friend. They were standing in front of, what he assumed, Suze's locker. She seemed to be rather annoyed. _

" _What happened?" the blonde girl asked. If Tommy guessed rightly, her name was Andrea. _

" _See, she accidentally left her paper at the Youth Center yesterday. Mr. Kent's paper," Suze added with a cringe._

" _Yuck. Nobody wants to mess with him. That old frog," Andrea made a face._

_Tommy nodded. That's an understatement. The fifty year old man was just nasty to say the least. He was heartless, had no mercy to anyone who dare enough to break his rules, which usually noone. Handed in the assignment on time was definitely one of those rules. And somehow, Tommy recalled something about Kim's story about his irrational sentiment towards her because she beat his daughter in the Gymnastics Competition months ago. _

" _She could always get it, but Ms. Monique had asked Kim to meet her bright and early this morning. Talking about that competition she was in, I guess," Suze explained and her face lit up. " her song rocks, girl. Kim must have won it," as if she sensed the third party overhearing them, she turned her head and soon her eyes locked with Tommy's. She frowned._

_Tommy quickly glanced away and continued walking. He was thinking about the news he just heard. He looked down at his watch. There's still plenty of time. He stared at his friends for a moment. He could do it or not? Or the more likely question was, did he want to? _

_Hell, it wouldn't hurt to be nice to her. If Kim couldn't get her book, **he** could. _

**_- 40 minutes later_**

_He couldn't believe it. Tommy leaped out of his jeep and run towards the school entrance._

_Everything went on well. He's off to the Youth Center and the amiably Ernie was there to give him Kim's paper. It all finished under 5 minute's time. But still, he got in forty minutes after that. _

_Tommy sprinted towards his old car and from the corner of his eyes, he spotted two guys corner an old lady. She looked mighty terrified. He glanced at his watch impatiently, the clock's ticking. But he couldn't just leave. Growling, Tommy shoved the car key back into his pocket and dealt with the unfinished business. _

_The little problem took him about ten minutes, save for almost five minutes of gratitude from the old lady. He succeeded in breaking away without being rude and bam, he had gone for a whole 40 minutes. School started about ten minutes ago. _

_The hallway was, of course, already empty. Eveybody had gone into their classrooms. When he thought he had sneaked in safely, Tommy heard an awfully familiar voice calling for someone, who he sured, was him. _

" _Hey, you, Young man!" _

_Perfect._

_Tommy tried not to flinch but as expected, failed. He took in a deep breath before turning around. There he was, standing with all he was worth. The infamous old frog, Jerome Kent. _

" _Good morning, Mr. Kent," he forced himself to smile. The teacher squinted his eyes and moved closer, watching Tommy like a tiger eyeing its prey. _

"_Look who's late again," he smirked that sickening smile and stopped right in front of Tommy. Mr. Kent was about two inches shorter than Tommy but his aura seemed to glow all over his short figure and Tommy couldn't help but feeling a little bit cautious. Yup, him. Tommy Oliver._

" _I can explain," Tommy was about to begin his tale of The Two Bullies Who Harassed an Old Lady when Mr. Kent cut him off with the gesture of his hand. Impulsively, Tommy closed his mouth shut. _

" _Tommy, this is not the first time I caught you being late," emphasized at the word I. Well, he's right. It must have something to do with the Oliver luck. " and even as a new student, you must know the simplest rule for not coming late, don't you?"_

" _I know," _

" _And you know, after all these times, I can't just simply let you go and pretend like there's nothing happened, can I?" he lifted his head to look at Tommy in the eyes. _

_**Of course you can, if you want to**. Tommy bit his tongue. He nodded. _

" _In that case," Mr. Kent tapped his notebook in his hand and frowned. " you see this hallway?" he pointed at the now empty hallway then returned his eyes to Tommy. " I don't like to see it so clear.. So, why don't you stand here so it won't look so empty anymore?" _

_Ah… if Tommy forgot to mention this before… _

_Jerome Kent had claimed that he had been teaching for almost thirty years. Unfortunately, he wasn't most students all time favorite teacher and definitely NOT Tommy's. What's so important about him was this. _

_Mr. Kent had this unique punishment for everyone who broke his rules. Which was to send the guilt to stand in front of the class. Yeah, he did that, to a high school student. Call it embarrassing, call it humiliating, and call it unusual. Tommy was likely his number one person to do just that._

_And he was about to tell Tommy to do it again. _

_Come on! What kind of reasons is that? ' I don't like to see this hallway looks so empty…' yeah, right. So empty my ass. _

" _Mr. Kent, I'm terribly sorry. I have a perfect explanation," Tommy's a high school student, for God's sake! Sending a high school student to stand in front of the class OR in the corridor was NOT an option. He just couldn't do that. _

" _Even though you're new around here," Tommy tried not to sigh at that. The whole you're-a-new-student thing was bo-ring. " you must know that I never, ever, take my words back," he continued sternly, piercing his eyes to Tommy's._

_Okay, just let's get this over with. Standing? Cool. No big deal. No sweat. " I understand,"_

" _Very good," Mr. Kent smiled that sickening smile as always. " now put your bag on the staircase and you can start your detention," the teacher didn't even let Tommy to put his bag to his locker, which not so coincidentally was located about three feet from where they were standing now. Fine. Mr. Kent didn't know that. _

_So Tommy did what he had told to do. He smiled bitterly with the sudden turn of events. Nice. Instead of Kimberly who was standing here, he was. He did this for Kimberly. She owed him BIG TIME. _

_Mr. Kent left Tommy standing like a complete idiot living statue. Thank God there're no tests for today or he would surely miss them all. Mr. Kent didn't tell him for how long Tommy needed to 'decorate' this 'empty hallway'. This was the worst morning. Well, maybe the second. He remembered of his third day when he bumped into the very lovely Miss Kimberly Hart. _

_He leaned back against someone's locker and closed his eyes. Bored started getting into him. If he once thought that studying in the class was boring, he was deadly wrong. _

" _Tommy?" the boredom was so strong until he started hearing things. " Tommy," the second call was followed by a light punch on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Kimberly standing in front of him. _

" _Kim? What are you doing here?" he asked, blinking to make sure his eyes not playing any tricks on him._

" _I just went back from Ms. Monique's office," Kim explained shortly. " what are **you** doing here?" _

_Tommy decided to just hell with it and told her, a slight embarrassement laced his voice. " Mr. Kent told me to stand here. I was late," _

_Kim raised one eyebrow. " Again? Tommy, Tommy… you really have a serious problem with punctuality. What happened? Your alarm acted up on you?" He gave her a glare. If she only knew. Kim continued talking. " so, until when you have to do this punishment?" _

_He shrugged, still awed from the fact that she, of all people, was here to find him. _

" _Talking about Mr. Kent…," her face turned to a grim expression. " you know what? I left my assignment at the Youth Center! How stupid is that?" _

" _Nothing to surprise me," Tommy replied, receiving a smack on his arm from the angry Kim. He's still considering of telling her that he got her paper with him. As weird as this sounded, he didn't want to look so nice in front of her. _

" _Well, since you'll be here for an indefinite time, you better give me that lab report. I don't want to get a E just because you're not there to hand it in," Kim saw his bag on the stairs and without saying anything made her way to where his bag lay. _

_Tommy looked as Kimberly bend over and grab the bag. It took about three seconds to register what she was doing with his bag. " Kim, wait!" it came too late. She had unzipped it and rummaged through it. She had her back to him so he didn't know what her expression gonna be when she found the paper. The sudden stillness told him that she had seen it. _

" _Mr. Oliver!" _

_Great! Tommy groaned in frustation when he heard the voice. The timing was just sucks. Tommy swore under his breath and turned around, ready to face once again, Mr. Kent. Meanwhile, Kim had also put Tommy's bag back and stood on her feet._

" _Well," Mr. Kent looked displeased. " look what we've got here," then he peered over Tommy's shoulders. His eyes shone with an unmasked delight. _

" _Morning, Mr. Kent," Kim greeted him with her usual cheery tune that made Tommy look at her. She seemed so… relax? However, the teacher misinteprated the attitude and he strode closer to her. He pointed his finger in front of her face. _

" _Ah, who is this if not the best gymnast in Angel Grove," if somebody else said it, Tommy might take it as a compliment. But not this one. Kim remained calm, as a matter of fact, she was smiling._

" _Thank you, Mr. Kent. You're far too kind," was her answer and Tommy tried to hide his smile. That's his girl, alright._

_Mr. Kent smirked. " What are you doing here, if I may know? Aren't you supposed to be in your classroom, instead of being here with this…," his eyes moved to Tommy with disgust. He tried to find one word that fit Tommy's description. " this…,"_

" _This very wonderful student," Kim filled for him. Tommy nearly lost his control and almost laughed out loud at that statement. Of course, Mr. Kent didn't find it funny. _

" _You!" he raised his finger until it was an eyelevel with Kim. He seemed to be lost for words but only for a moment. " you, stay here! I definitely will report this to Mrs. Applebee later,"_

" _Me!" Kim asked, perplexed by her teacher's irrational mind. " what did I do?" _

" _Silence!" Mr. Kent almost yelled. His face was red from surpressing his anger. Tommy couldn't say that Mr. Kent had done a vey good job at doing it. " stay. Here." _

_Kim pouted. " Fine," _

_Then Mr. Kent left Tommy for the second time, this time with Kim by his side. _

" _You and your tongue," Tommy started, looking down at the petite brunette with a small smile. " you could get away easily, you know," _

" _Please! That teacher is so unbelievable!" she pointed out angrily. " he got to be the most unreasonable person who didn't deserve to be a teacher at the first place! He couldn't even teach," Kim grumbled, scratching her chin. _

" _Our life are fulled with so many strange things," _

" _You becareful or that's gonna be your future," Kim said half jokingly and nudged his arm." A self righteous, selfish bastard,"_

_Tommy fixed her with a glare. " That's what you said to someone who-," he stopped, not too sure want to finish the sentence. For a moment he forgot that Kim had found her paper, in his bag. The minor accident with Mr. Kent had Swiss cheesed that part of memories._

" _Who what?" Kim challenged him._

" _Someone who you claimed was a very wonderful student," Tommy said, choosing to focus on the AIDS ad instead of the girl beside him. He could literaly feel the weight of her eyes on him. _

" _Someone who has taken my paper back that he was late to school?" _

" _I didn't say that," Tommy quickly said._

" _Yeah, but that's true, isn't it? That you're late because of me," _

"_Well, it's not completely true. I got sidetracked when I headed back to school," he admitted sheepishly."there some bullies who tried to scare an old lady,"_

" _Wow, you really, really, late because of **me**?" her face glowed. Her small hand clutched at his sleeve. Tommy didn't know whether he had to be happy or embarrassed. _

" _Did you hear me? I said I was late because I have to teach those jerks a lesson," _

" _Well, it's all the same. You know, the dominoes effect," _

_Tommy suddenly turned to face her, looking more than a trifle annoyed. " You're so stupid. Now my sacrifice was for nothing!" _

_Kim chuckled. " Sacrifice? Such a big word for someone like you, Oliver," _

" _Shut up," suddenly he felt his hand being pulled down and the next thing he knew, a warm lips brushed against his cheek lightly. It only lasted for half a second but the effect was amazing. " Kim?" _

_She bit her lips, smiling shyly. " That's really sweet. What you did for me," _

_Tommy couldn't help his smile that flashed across his face. " Sweet?"_

" _Well, yeah. I secondhandedly responsible for all these to happen," Kim shrugged. " but of course, it's still your fault because I never asked you to help," _

" _You're welcome," he retorted back. After thinking for a while, he tugged at his pony tail and said," Kim, two days from today is my birthday," _

" _So you do remember! And yes, I know that and for your information, I've been planning to give you a dozen of alarm clocks for your birthday present," she grinned cheekily, her eyes twinkling with mirth._

" _I was thinking. Just like you said, you're responsible for this and you can compensate by doing something for me," _

" _As long as it's not hunting down Mr. Kent and beating him up, try me," _

" _I know a nice place somewhere in town. How about you and I go check it out?" he said in one breath of air, waiting nervously for her answer. He cocked his eyebrows. " well?" _

" _Like a date, you mean?"_

" _Not a date," Tommy corrected her. " more like a down payment," _

_Kim frowned, confused yet intrigued by his game. " How about the rest of it?" _

_He answered with a secretive smile that successfully bothered Kim's curiousity. " One at a time. I'll have something in mind," he could see on her face that she was still dissatisfied, but for now she had to keep it to herself because he wouldn't say more._

" _You pay for it?" _

" _You bet,"_

" _It's on then,"_

_**Kimberly**_

She peered at her watch for the umpteenth times. This started to get ridiculous. Where the hell was he?

Since Jason had declared that they would throw a small party at the Youth Center on Friday, Tommy had moved the 'date' to Thursday.

Tommy had sincerely apologized for not able to pick her up but had promised he would take her home before ten. So they decided to meet up in the park.

He did say 5 p.m., didn't he? Or it was 5.30? Well, not like it mattered because her watch told her it was 5.40 already. That guy really had a very bad problem with punctuality. Did he forget about this… down payment?

Kim scooted on the park bench that was far from comfortable. She had been sitting on it for the last fifty minutes and counting. Tommy was so utterly dead!

Anyway, his lack of punctuality was kinda cute. After all, it was one of many factors that made him Tommy. Kim wondered if there'd be one day when she didn't have to wait. Yeah… she hoped this wouldn't be the last time they hang out together. Just the two of them, that is.

What he did for her yesterday was definitely something. Okay, so they _both_ ended up with detention. Not a smooth move, if someone asked. But the little occurrence was enough to crack the smallest smile from her being. That was something and the little peck she gave him was another. She's still confused from where the nerve came from but it's nice, nevertheless. Really nice.

_Tommy, where are you?_

Kim looked heavenwards, frowning when finding the sky was almost dark. The wind played with her hair and Kim regretted her decision to leave her hair down. She pushed a strand of hair to the back of her ear.

She felt experiencing a déjà vu all over again. The sky was dark, the wind was wild, the park almost empty. Just like it did on that damn island. No need an expert to tell it's going to rain. Soon.

Tommy would be dead, as soon as she got a hold on him. Really dead that he would be sorry for making her waiting.

Kim got up. She wouldn't wait for him any longer. There's just no way she would sit here while the rain could pour anytime soon. It was when the first drop of water hit her nose. It's only the beginning before the sky released all the water in full force. It happened so fast that she didn't have time to react.

Was she the one who's so stupid until not noticing the weather because she's busy thinking of Tommy? Oh, ALWAYS his fault! He brought bad luck! In no time, she's soaking wet from head to toes. Her outfit was all ruined and it's still new. Damnit, Tommy!

Kim walked as fast as she could without falling due to the slippery ground, cursing Tommy every once in a while. She couldn't find a shelter nearby so she made a split decision to head towards the small superstore that she knew was located at the other side of the park. " Damn you, Tommy! You're one hideous jerk!"

When she reached her destination, she nearly cried from relief. Kim's hand was already on the glass door and about to push it open when she saw something.

The places had a small cafetaria inside and please, guess who's in there?

Tommy. Not alone. But with that girl. Marissa. _Again_. They're sitting face to face, two cups of hot drinks in front of them.

Kimberly couldn't believe her eyes. This just so… horrible. Why, WHY did _she_ have to do that? First that little shopping trip that led to the accident and now _this_? Kim wanted to cry so badly that it hurt. How could he do this to her?

There she was, all wet and cold while they sat there in the warmth of the place. He stood her up, for Marissa.

Hot tears stung her eyes. She was upset, angry, disappointed and _jealous_ all together. She couldn't accept that Tommy could be so mean.

Kim stepped back and walked to the payphone. After waiting for eight seconds, her bestfriend picking it up.

" Trini?" her voice was trembling. " it's Kim,"

**: Thank you for reading and I know, it's not the birthday chapter. Please don't hate me, it will be up soon, promise! I titled this chapter Calamity Kimberly because this somehow reminded me of that very wonderful episode where Kim had a very terrible day. But of course, Tommy was there, ready to 'take his chances'. Yeah, I LOVE that episode! Unlike in Calamity Kim, this chap didn't end with a happy ending. I know I made Tommy looked so heartless, trust me, I hate it too! But please, continue reading and don't forget to leave your reviews, they mean a lot to me. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri : ) **


	16. Not a very happy birthday, Tommy

**You and I Both**

**: I'm so happy that I can breathe a little easier right now. My life had been a living hell lately. Thank you for all who have reviewed, your reviews mean a lot to me. I'd managed to steal times here and there and here you go, chapter sixteen! Hope you enjoy: )**

**----------------------------------**

**Chapter sixteen: Not a very happy birthday, Tommy.**

_**-Tommy**_

_**The Juice Bar**_

" Hey, Trini, where's Kim?" Tommy asked. Today was his birthday. Finally, the youngest son of Benjamin Oliver was no longer sixteen. Jason and Zack had kindly thrown a small party at the Juice Bar. The Asian girl glared openly at him, making him raise one eyebrow. " what? Is she okay?"

Kim was absent today. She didn't show up yesterday and after getting the same _' I'm sorry, Tommy, but Kim's gone to bed already,'_ for the fourth time from Ms. Hart, his worry growing. It just wasn't like her, at all. Tommy's not too sure that her daughter was, like she told him, had tucked in bed and went to the dreamstate already. Jason told him that she wasn't feeling well but she would be just fine. Tommy needed _more_ than that.

" She's fine," was Trini's short answer. She looked down at her hands, clearly avoiding his eyes.

" I don't think so," Tommy moved closer to her and took her glass, putting it on the counter. " come on, tell me. She got me worried,"

Trini gave him a skeptical look. " Oh really?"

Kim was definitely NOT okay. Tommy mused quietly.

_**The Hart residence**_

Kim hugged her stuffed animal closer to her chest. This was terrible. She felt like shit.

" _Kim, Kimberly," Trini said once she arrived. She practically flew to the park after receiving a phone call from her bestfriend. Kim sounded so empty on the phone and that was no good. Kimberly was never that type of person. _

_Kimberly lifted her head. She had chosen to stay at the other side of the superstore. On the backdoor to be precised. She didn't want to be seen by Tommy or Marissa. "Trini,"_

_Kim looked awful. She obviously had been crying, her eyes were red and puffy. Her clothes were soaked and the expression she wore making Trini wince. Kim reminded Trini of a lost child. _

" _Kim, honey, what happened?" it's already dark by now and it's drizzling. Trini took off her jacket and put it around Kim's shoulder. _

To make the story short, Kim explained the whole thing. She had never felt any happier to see her friend. Kim appreciated Trini's offer to go straight to the two persons who had abused Kim, mentally, and kick their ass off to the planet Pluto but no, Kim had told her not to. After what had happened, she didn't want anything to do with a guy under the name Tommy Oliver. End of discussion.

She caught a cold and her fever made the world seemed to spin around. Her body ached everytime she tried to move and her wrist was still cracked. The latter was totally sucks. After doing it almost every single day for the last twelve years, putting gymnastics aside was tormenting. It's a good thing that less than a week, she didn't have to wear the cast anymore.

Kim was as sick as someone could be expected to be after standing under the rain for almost ten minutes straight and twenty minutes for waiting for her bestfriend to pick her up with all wet from head to toes. Kim was as sick as a dog.

Although she could reckon her being sickness had a good side effect. Lying here on her comfortable bed was so much better than being in that birthday party. Jason would brush off all her reasons and since she didn't tell the boys about yesterday's fiasco-,

A knock on her door cut off her trail of thoughts. She didn't open her eyes. Keeping them close reduced all the dizziness. When she replied her voice was hoarse. " Come in," her mother, despite everything, treated her very very well that it touched her. And also doubled the guilt in her heart. Kim, of course, didn't tell Caroline the real reason she went home like a drenched cat. Although her strict refusal to receive any phone calls, _Tommy's_ phone calls had probably made her mother curious and sensed there's something off.

" Kimberly?" a voice asked after the door was closed. Kimberly immediately snapped her eyes open. She felt like she wanted to be sick.

" Tommy?"

Standing on the dark of her room was Tommy Oliver, the last person she wanted to see at the moment. What was he doing in here? What nearly made Kim laugh was the fact that he still got enough guts on him to actually come and see her.

" Yeah, Trini said you're sick so I came," he said as he walked closer. His worry expression looked so sincere that she almost forgot about him and Marissa. Only for a brief second. Her Asian friend's face popped in Kim's mind and she stifled a growl. Trini Kwan! " your mother sent me up here, she thought maybe you could use a company,"

Kim snarled. Her face was hot, both because of the fever and the anger that'd boiled her blood. She didn't even want to ask what the hell he's doing here instead in his birthday party. " I don't want to see you, Tommy. Not now, not ever. Get out," that, she said it. Simple but clear. Something that even his brain could take.

His face went blank. She gave him time until her words sink in completely. " What?"

" Are you deaf or something?" she said harshly. " I said, get out," if only she had the strength, she would've already stood on her her feet and pushed him out of the room. " leave,"

" Okay, so what did I do this time," Tommy crossed his arms. Even in the dark, his eyes seemed to shine, looking at hers.

" Still need to ask? I don't want to explain. Like I said, I don't care. Go away. You don't want me to call for my mother, do you? So she could kick your sorry ass out of this house," Kim shifted a little, glancing away. If only the circumstances were different, _she_ would kick his sorry ass personally.

" You didn't show up yesterday," he began softly. " I tried to call you a couple of times but your mom said you're sleeping already. I was worried,"

" So _I_ was the one who didn't come yesterday?" she had the strength to nearly bark at him.

" You weren't there when I got to the park," Tommy said, pulling out a chair from her desk and planted himself firmly on it. He wouldn't get out until he knew everything was okay between them. " it's raining cats and dogs last night. And then you got sick. I thought maybe you-,"

" Tommy, shut up, get up and get out,"

" What's wrong, Kim? I'm sorry if I did something wrong but-,"

" _If_?" Kim decided to blurt it out already, not really care about anything anymore. " I saw you, Tommy. Ring a bell?" The sudden change of expression told Kim that she had succeeded in opening his eyes. "now you understand? Get out, get out!"

He rose from his seat under a second. " Kim, I can explain. I was-,"

" I don't care and I don't want to know. But I know I don't want to see you right now," Kim said, blinking back the tears that had blurred her vision. The ache in her heart had no match, not even to the headache she had. " please, Tommy?" to stress her words, Kim moved and lay on her side with her back towards him.

The first drop of her tears streaked down across her face and landed on the pillow when she finally heard the soft thud of the door being closed, knowing that he might have just walked out of her life and not just her room.

Tommy pressed his forehead against the wall beside Kim's room. Everything was perfect. _Was_. Now it's ruined.

_Tommy tapped at the steeringwheel, following the rhythm of the country music played on the tape. He was not a fan of country music, but this one was not too bad. It's David's, actually. He must have just grabbed the case and forgot about the cassette. See? It was not just him. The bad memory. It ran in the family. _

_Tomorrow was his birthday and today was the day where he would go on a date with Kimberly, or collect the down payment, like he had pointed it out. It's all the same. Him, Kimberly, together. Whatever they called it was not the problem. _

_If he didn't make it to the Park in fifteen minutes, **that** would be a problem. And there's something that he thought would definitely extend his time to get to the park. _

" _Marissa?" the traffic light was still red. With the jeep position on the left line of the road, he couldn't miss the sight of the auburn girl, crying. It was a busy avenue so meeting her here was not too surprising. But seeing a sixteen year old girl crying in the middle of a busy street was kind of confusing. _

" _Tommy?" she lifted her head, looking surprise yet a little bit relief. _

" _Are you okay?" he had to ask. It's just in his nature. Then her lips started to quiver and he knew she was about to cry again. Impatient honks startled him. The light was green already. " get in the car," _

_She seemed to be hesitant for a while but then walked around and climbed into the passenger seat.Tommy looked at his watch and swore under his breath. Kim would kill him, that's for sure._

" _So, what happened?" he asked as he steered the jeep to the direction to the Park. Tommy glanced at her before returning his eyes back to the road. Kim would not like this. _

" _It's, I just got a terrible news from my mother," Marissa said, both of her hands clutching her skirt tightly. Tommy waited for her to continue. " my grandmother, she, she died," her tears broke free once again. " she has a heart attack this afternoon,"_

_Tommy went quiet. He didn't know what to say except offering his condolences." I'm sorry," his grandmother from his father's side had also gone already. It happened when he was twelve. That was a hard time for him, especially when he'd developed a strong bond with Nana Andie. It crushed him when Dad delivered the bad news. He still wrote to grandma Georgie every once in a while, but even though he loved her just as much as he loved Nana Andie, it wasn't the same. _

" _We're taking the night flight to Canada and I thought I could use some fresh air, you know," she said between sobs. " I hope it would do me good,"_

" _I understand," he nodded in understanding. " do you want me to drop you off to your house? Or somewhere else?" _

" _If you don't mind, I was hoping you could accompany me for a while? I don't want to go home, it upsets me to see my parents break down," she whimpered, looking at him with teary eyes. Tommy tried to concentrate at the road. He couldn't turn her down. Based on experience, he knew that Marissa wouldn't be alone right now. _

" _Why don't we get you a nice cup of hot chocolate? I know a place that serves the best chocolate in town," which was located near the park. Tommy continued in his mind. He could leave for a while and go to Kim. She wouldn't be happy but she would understand, Tommy knew that. _

_Marissa gave him a light smile. " Thank you. I appreciate it so much, Tommy,"_

_With that he drove them to the Angel Grove Park, sighing when he saw he was ten minutes late already._

_The Small Café could be found at the Grove superstore. You couldn't exactly call it a café actually, but it's nice, nonetheless. He ordered drinks for them and they sat at the table near the window. _

" _My grandmother, she used to make me a hot chocolate whenever it's raining," she wiped her tears with the back of her hand._

_Now that she mentioned it, Tommy noticed that the weather had changed. The sky's no longer brilliant blue anymore. His eyes looked at the swaying trees. Tommy turned to Marissa, who now had resumed her sobs._

" _I have to go for a while," he stood up from his chair. " I promised Kim I would meet her at five and it's five thirty right now," _

" _Oh," Marissa looked up at him. " I'm sorry. I don't know that-,"_

" _It's okay," he assured her. " let me take Kim here, okay? Then we all can talk," _

" _No, I'm fine. You should go to her. I'm sorry, it's just," Tommy's eyes widened when she began to cry again. Dealing with crying girls was not his department. Never. Marissa grabbed a tissue paper from the table." Could you stay for a little while? Just ten minutes, I just, I don't want to be alone,"_

" _Marissa…,"_

" _Then you and I go to Kimberly," she went on. " I'll explain to her what made you come late and I'll go home by myself," _

_His eyes softened and he sat back. Just 10 minutes… Kimberly would understand. _

_Instead in those 10 minutes, it started to rain heavily. Tommy moved on his seat. This started eating him alive. _

" _Wait here, I'll be right back," he stated, getting up to his feet. " don't go anywhere," _

When he arrived at the place they had promised to meet up at, Kimberly was not there. He had assumed that she possibly had gone to someplace to get cover from the rain.

She did, didn't she?

Now she was lying on the bed, with cold and high fever. She obviously scolded him for not being there yesterday _and_ for being with Marissa while she was out there under the rain. Kim saw them together and had misinterpreted it.

Damn.

" Tommy," Ms. Hart called out when he's walking pass by the living room. " going home already?" she was sitting on the comfy pale green colored sofa. Tommy impulsively walked closer. She stood up, lying the book she was reading on the table. ' How to Make a Simple and Delicious Dinner for Your Family' was the title. Now he was sure, he had seen the same cooking book in his house. Either it's a very popular guide book about how-to-make-a-decent-meal right now or it was a gift from his father.

" Yeah, Kim needs her rest," Tommy didn't know what reason Kim'd told her mother but judging from Caroline's warm smile, it seemed that Kim didn't let her know her real reason.

" Ah, happy birthday, by the way," Ms. Hart outstretched her arms and hugged the tall boy. " it's a shame that Kim chose this day to get sick," she joked. " that kid has prepared...," Tommy's eyes followed her. She picked up a small bundle of wrapped gift from the sofa and handed it to him. " I think this is your birthday present from Kim. She left it here after wrapping it up,"

" Thank you,"

After saying good bye to Kim's mother, Tommy walked to his jeep. He felt guilty. So very very much. It shouldn't happen this way. This wasn't the plan. He's not too sure if he wanted to get back to that party. He should, he knew that. But the thought of Kim refused to leave his mind.

' _To Tommy Oliver'_

It's written in front of the blue envelope that was sticked on one side of the present. He opened it and pulled out the card inside.

' _I won't say anything! Unwrapped this A.S.A.P!' – Kimberly_

Tommy smiled sadly. He leaned back and slowly began to rip the polkadots wrapped paper. He found a small bear in it and Tommy couldn't help his laugh. She was the first girl that had ever given him a stuffed animal. The first. And the only. That's why Kim was so special.

There's a paper on the bear's smiling mouth that said, _' Kiss me!' _

Kiss it? Was this for real? As silly as this looked, he secretively stealing a glance or two at the neighbourhood around him just to make sure there's noone near him to see him kiss a bear. And he did kiss it.

The sound that came out after his mouth left the bear's nearly made him drop it. _It_ was talking! With Kim's voice. Okay…

' _Hey, you. I'll give you time to recover, just in case you've never seen a talking bear before,' _Tommy smiled. _' so, this thing is cute, huh? Honestly, what drew me to it was its smile. Cocky, full of confidence. A perfect duplicate of yours, Tommy. I found this at the mall, which reminds me, I've never dragged you to come along with me. Don't worry, Tommy dear, your time is near. Even I took Billy to come with me!' _he laughed. Jason and the others had told him about Kim's infamous shopping trips. Meanwhile, the bear kept talking. _' okay, anyway I should go quick. This brand new talking bear only offered one time chance to speak so no mistakes are accepted here. I only have eight minutes and thanks to my babbling, it leaves me about six minutes and forty seven seconds to go. _

_So, today is your birthday. I won't start with saying all the cliches, like I hope you get everything you want in your life, or I wish you all the best in the world, or that you have to be better than the previous year! Oops. I think I just said them, didn't I? But one thing I couldn't not mention. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT MEMORY OF YOURS! It gets worse and worse by the day. _Tommy grinned. He could picture her standing in front of him with her hands planted on her hips and saying all that.

_And… don't change. Yeah, you hear me right, Buddy. I actually don't want you to change from an egoistic, selfish, irritating, arrogant, mean jerk with a short term memory into a good, angelic, perfect your parents' dutiful son. Gosh! Look what you've done to me! You're such a bad influence, Oliver. _

_But of course, I don't mind if you can act nicer, kinder, more polite, more gentle, more understanding, sympathetic towards me. I also won't mind a double cheeseburger, French fries and a strawberry milkshake that you could leave anytime in my locker. Or my home. Hint hint. Doing backflips is tiring, you know._

_Another thing. You should stop that habit I noticed you'd developed lately. Stop blaming yourself. You know, like that one time when your student twisted his ankle so he has to miss the Junior Karate Competition. It's not like you could've prevented it. You're not even there. That's not your fault. Understood? Okay, forty seconds left. _

_I'll stick to my promise. I'll give you that alarm clock first thing in the morning so you wouldn't have any excuses to be late again. And Mr. Kent wouldn't find a motive to use you to practise his abnormal punishment. Wow, two presents! That means you have to at least give me three on my birthday. Kidding. _

_Once again, happy birthday, Tommy Oliver. _

_P.S. : If you want to hear my lovely, beautiful voice again, just follow the instruction. Kiss me!_

The record ended there. Tommy closed his eyes, pressing the bear to his chest.

Kimberly Hart.

He would fix this mess. He _must_.

_Just wait, Beautiful…_

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**: Finally, I used the beloved nickname! That's the end of this chapter and thank you for reading. I didn't center this chapter around Tommy's birthday but I gave some explanations about what had happened. If the next week isn't as bad as before, the next chapter should be up soon. Please don't forget to leave your reviews, they brightened up my sucky days. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri ; )**


	17. The week after

**You and I Both…**

**: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your reviews! They really mean a LOT for me:) This is the seventeenth chapter for you. Enjoy!**

**JASON DAVID FRANK! Happy belated birthday! The wonderful man who played Tommy Oliver celebrated his 33rd birthday on the 4th of September. I wish you all the best, Jason! Love you! ;D**

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**Chapter seventeen: The week after…**

**Kimberly**

_**Angel Grove High School**_

_**- Monday morning**_

" _,…her grandmother passed away and come on, Kim. I know you would've done the same if you were there," _

_Kim pretended as if she didn't hear a word he say. Just like she had stated before, anything to do with Tommy Oliver was not her problem. She couldn't, wouldn't forgive him. Yet. _

" _, I know that I was late. You must have left by the time I got there. I'm sorry," he touched her shoulder lightly and she jerked her arm off. Not bothering to spare him a glance, she kept pulling out her books from her locker. " I just hoped that you leave before it started raining. So you wouldn't get sick,"_

" _So it's my fault for getting sick? Is that what you're trying to say?" Kim snapped, banging the door close. That or he wanted her to get the live action sooner?_

" _No! I mean," Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. Those dark brown eyes gazed deeply into her eyes. "look, I'm sorry,"_

_Kim sighed. " Tommy, all those words I said when you came to my house? I mean it. I don't want to see you. Not then, not now, not ever. Got it? Good,"_

Kim disposed the coke she just had. Going to the mall was certaintly something she could use to help her to relax. Usually it worked. Usually.

It had been four days and the talk between Tommy and her repeated over and over in her mind. She should give herself credits. She had managed to stay cool while her mind screamed at her to stop being silly, forget about the past and lunge into his arms, telling him that she'd forgiven him and everything wasn't matter anymore.

Well, she understood his reason. If she hadn't, at least that 45 minutes phone call with Jason should help. It looked like Tommy'd also had a consultation with Jason. Her friend since she was little told her that he had chewed Tommy's ass off for daring enough to hurt his little sister. And Jason also didn't forget to yell at her for not telling him sooner. He just didn't understand. Kim sighed. She needed time to sort everything out.

" _You two need to sit down and talk. I know you, Kim. I know that you've forgiven him but that ego of yours is too stubborn to admit it," Jason said." He had hurt you badly. But it's an accident. We surely didn't expect any of these to happen,"_

Sure. Everything was an accident. Kim sincerely felt bad for Marissa. She wouldn't lie that there wasn't a bit of dislike in her heart towards the redhead but she's still her friend and Kim still cared. Especially after her parents got divorce, family meant a lot for her, probably more than some people.

Tommy. Why did she have to fall in love with him? It's like somone had put a spell on her so she couldn't look away, not caring how irritating he was. Jason was better than him. Much better. Okay, scratch him. Thinking about dating her long time bestfriend was weird. It would feel like dating her own brother.

" _So, it's official. You like Tommy, don't you, Kim?" Jason asked and she could imagine he was smirking over the phone. " finally. Damn, I owe Zack ten bucks,"_

" _You what?" Kim couldn't believe her ear. " you guys betting on… geez,"_

" _You're not answering the question. You like him, right?"_

" _Shut up,"_

Tommy and her. They had been dancing around each other for quite sometimes now. It felt like only yesterday she called him a thug. Well, he still reminded her of a thug, but at least a very good looking thug. Sometimes she just wanted that thug to grab her and kiss her until they're delirious with air deprivation.

" Kimberly,"

" Not you again!" she rolled her eyes. People said you can't run forever. In this case, she had avoided him in school, the Youth Center and even rejected all his phone calls. But she's here, and there he was, Tommy Oliver. If Trini was here, she would say that it was faith.

" Nice to meet you too, Kim," he returned sardonically. Tommy stood about two meters from her place, his hand carrying a green plastic bag. Kim raised her eyebrows when she saw the name on it. _Yellow_. What the hell he's doing in a girly girl shop?

Kim made up her mind and continued walking. Angel Grove was not _that_ little. How could she meet him here? Or maybe Jason was behind this one? Because she remembered telling him about this shopping trip. Well, she hadn't bought anything beside a can of coke though, so this wasn't exactly a shopping trip.

She made her way towards the elevator, trying to block his presence from her mind. Damn, it was hard. Kim stopped and turned around. " Why are you following me?"

He seemed to be rather amused. " Who said I was following you? Public place, Kim, remember,"

Kim felt her face went red. Biting her lips, she turned around and went straight to the elevator. Tommy was not too far, just one or two steps behind her.

" Is Trini with you?" he asked when they were waiting for the elevator.

" Do you see her around?" Kim crossed her arms, answering him impatiently. She still wouldn't forgive him. Not now.

" Well, I thought…,"

" I don't wanna know what you're thinking," Kim cut off exactly when the elevator's door glided open smoothly. She stopped midway, lifting her head to look at Tommy hesitantly. " are you taking the elevator?"

" Are you?" he asked back. Kim groaned.

" It depends,"

" Same here,"

Kim narrowed her eyes, looking at his smiling face. Gosh, this guy is so impossible sometimes! No, many times. " Whatever," she walked inside. As expected, he tailing behind.

" What floor?" Tommy asked when the door had closed.

Kim shook her head, smiling bitterly. The way he acted was like nothing had happened. Maybe she should turn from the bitch Kim to the angel Kim, like right now?

No.

Ignoring him, she pushed the 7th floor button and walked back to the corner. She closed her eyes, clearly closing any possibility to engage into a conversation. _Take a hint, Tommy…_

" So, why are you here, Kim?"

He tried so hard and she loved him dearly for that. He might be acting nice to her just because he's still feeling guilty. Well, he should. Although it kind of contradicted with what she'd said through that bear. Right, the bear.

She couldn't believe it when her mother told her that she had given it to Tommy. That guy had taken Kim's heart and trampled it mercilessly. Not giving his birthday present was the least she could do. She felt her face pink. All those words she said… ' Kiss me!' gosh, she'd told him to kiss her! Of course, technically it's not actually _her_, but still, it was…

Was this damn thing moving?

" Mind your own business," she said and opened her eyes. Tommy looked hurt. Then her eyes moved downwards and she fought her smile. There's a chocolate smear on his upper lip. Wonder why she didn't notice it earlier. Imagining him walking here and there around the mall with that tickled her endlessly.

The elevator stopped at the third floor and when the door opened, Kim's eyes widening in disbelief. This was so great. A one in a million times chance. Tommy Oliver, Kimberly Hart and Marissa Smith all in this square, isolated moving box.

She stole a quick glance and met his nervous one. Both of them surely didn't see _this_ coming. Marissa, who appeared had already come back from Canada, smiled when she saw them, er… Tommy.

" Tommy," Marissa said, walking inside with a big smile. On the other hand, Kim was more than ready to take off. Tommy, knowing her intention, grabbed her arm and held her in place.

" What are you doing?" she hissed.

" Hi, Kimberly," Marissa greeted Kim. _Finally_ she noticed the short brunette standing beside Tommy. That probably was the case. She couldn't stand any girl near him.

_Kimberly, you're being mean. _No, as far as she's concerned, she could be as mean as she wanted to be. As long there's no damage was done. _Yeah…_ " Hi, Marissa,"

Marissa once again smiled and turned around to press her floor button. Now that Kim noticed, Tommy hadn't chosen one.

Gosh, what should she do? It's so hard to put a still face when what she wanted to do was screaming like crazy. Was this a sign? A teribble sign that they just weren't meant to be? What should she do? _God, please, give me another sign, anything but this!_

At that very second, the elevator jerked and oh God, it felt like the scenes that happened in those Hollywood action movies. Somewhere she heard someone screaming for Tommy and at this rate, Kim was too panic to care. Of course, the fact that he grabbed her and pulled her close to him erased all the worries. Well, almost all.

As fast as it happened, the elevator stopped with a nasty jolt. Kim's heart still was beating fast. Oh boy. She asked for a sign, she got one.

" I thought we're going to crash or what," Kim mumbled, finding her voice squeaky. And they would die like the people in that movie Jason rent. Not a very good ending.

It warmed her that he asked for her condition first. " Are you okay?" Tommy asked. He still had a good grip on her hand. Kim nodded. " Marissa, you okay?"

The girl pressed herself to Tommy's other side, cluthing his white t-shirt tightly. She stammered," Yeah, I think so,"

" Looks like we're stuck," he said.

" Well, it's obvious," Kim responded and pulled her hand from his. The shock from the occurrence hadn't left her completely. " we're in the third floor," she shivered. They were so close. _Too_ close.

" Could be a mechanical problem,"

For the next 5 minutes, Tommy had taken the emergency phone. Kim and Marissa watched as he murmuring yeses, uh huhs and a thank you before putting it back. " They said they would fix this as soon as possible," He too was alert at how awkward it's gonna be, with the two girls who're playing a rather major part in his life now, with two different reasons, stuck in this elevator together with him.

" I really thought we're going to die," Marissa said, hadn't surrendered Tommy's shirt yet.

Kim sighed and dropped herself to the floor. This was so perfect. " Marissa, I heard about your grandmother. I'm sorry," she said softly.

" Thanks," Marissa murmured back. " Er, Kim? That day, I'm sorry. I know you and Tommy had a date but-,"

" It's okay," Kim said with a soft smile. Tommy flashed her a matching one, relief was evident in his brown orbs.

" I'm glad that it's settled," Tommy sat beside Kim, their shoulders almost touching. " thanks for the present,"

' _Kiss me!' _Kim blushed. " You're welcome,"

" You got that apples?"

The next day after his birthday, a nice bucket of red apples arrived in front of her door. Kim nodded. "Yeah, I did. Thanks,"

" Actually it's my Dad. He insisted on giving it to you. He wanted to visit you but something got in the way," _just like you, huh?_ Kim held her tongue. " I guess your mom must have told him that you're sick. Geez… your mother and my father. I haven't got used to it, you know. Even after all these times,"

Kim sent him a death glare and elbowed his ribs hard. The warning was coming too late because Marissa chimed in.

" Are your parents dating each other?"

Kim wanted to ask how the hell on earth Marissa knew about her mom and his dad being single parents. Must be Tommy. He and his BIG mouth. " They're old friends,"

" Yeah," Tommy mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to Kim.

" That's really cool," Marissa sat across them.

_No, it's not_. Kim mused. Getting busted by Marissa was the last thing she needed right now. But this might be the time. They couldn't hide it forever. Sooner or later someone would know and it's not like something that both Tommy and she have to be embarrassed about. It's just the gossip that she feared would spread out.

" So I guess you two will be brother and sister then," Marissa's smile was so wide that Kim wondered what'd caused it. Oh, if they're siblings, then the opportunity for her was Wide open. Wide, with a capital W.

Kimberly! What happened with you and that evil mind of yours?

" They haven't talked about taking the next step," Tommy answered tightly.

Marissa nodded. Kim watched as the redhead raise her hand and…

" Tommy, you got a chocolate smear on your lips," Kim said and reached out her hand to wipe it. The friendly yet intimate gesture was surprising all of them. Especially Tommy, she might say. " you're like my three year old nephew," she quickly said to cover the sudden silence.

Tommy shot her a knowing look that came along with his infamous smirk. He certainly knew what that was all about. Kim glanced away.

" Imagine, having a brother like Tommy," Marissa said, her eyes boring into him. " a good looking, kindhearted, gentle and a picture of a perfect guy,"

Kim stifled her laugh. Tommy? A perfect guy? Well, maybe, if you see him from the Eiffel Tower." Don't let it get into your head, Oliver. She's just being nice,"

" I especially like to watch you doing that karate moves," Marissa continued showering him with compliments. " you're really great,"

" It's nice to know that there's someone who actually has a right state of mind here," Tommy said and the mirth in his voice didn't gone unnotice by Kim. " thanks, Marissa,"

Sometimes she just wanted to kick him and strangle him until he begged for her mercy. Marissa was another thing. That girl had a major crush at Tommy, which was plainly clear. Kim hated her for that and for being such a tall, beautiful, clever girl and a very nice girl as well. It's just difficult not to like her. Though it's not so nice of her to put her hand on his arm just like she's doing right now…

There's a chime and the elevator door glided open. _Oh, thank God!_

" Are you okay?" one of the men asked.

Kim lifted herself off the floor, so did Tommy and Marissa. " We're fine," at least after Marissa got her hand off Tommy, Kim was fine. " thank you,"

_Pathetic. Kimberly, you're so pathetic. _

" I forgot that I have to go home. See you tomorrow," Kim flashed Marissa a tiny smile and gave Tommy a look that had a hidden meaning ' don't you dare to do anything that you'll regret later'.

" Kim," she walked and on purpose stepped on his left foot. " Kim!"

" Bye,"

**Scott Residence**

**- Later in the day**

" What's going on?" Kim asked when the front door's swinging open, revealing the slender Asian girl. Trini pulled Kim's hand and dragged her in.

" _Kim! Come to Jason's house. ASAP! And tell your mom you're staying the night," Trini said over the phone then added in a rush, " don't forget. Wear pink,"_

" _Why?"_

" _K', Kim? Pink. See ya," Trini hang up, leaving a slightly confused Kimberly._

" Oh, you know, Jason decided to throw a private party. Just us and about 8 people from school," Trini linked her arm with Kim's and they walked to Jason's kitchen.

Kim looked around. It was almost empty, there're just a guy from their math class and his girlfriend, sitting in the living room. " Where's everyone?"

" In the backyard," Trini opened the fridge and grabbed two cokes. " Zack has a new game,"

" Really?" Kim lifted herself and sat at the counter. She accepted the cold beverage and opened it. Faintly in the background, she could hear the boys laughing and yelling. " how about Mr. and Mrs. Scott?"

" They're visiting Mr. Scott's brother. They won't be back till the next day," Trini explained.

" Anyway, what's with the-," Kim frowned and turned her head. There's someone running on the hallway and the next thing she knew, Tommy was standing on the doorway. He still had the same white shirt from the afternoon and he was breathing heavily. " what the hell is going on? What game does Zack-, oph!"

Tommy had stridden across the kitchen in three wide steps and without warning grabbed Kim's hand, pulling her down. " Come on,"

" Hey, hey! Let me go!" Kim smacked his arm with her other hand. It felt just like in that island. But this time she wouldn't let it end with her dropped on her knees. Using all her power, she yanked her hand from his grasp. " Are you crazy?"

Tommy looked down at her, seemed like he was thinking. Then he reached down, getting a good grip at Kim's waist and threw her off his shoulder. Kim shrieked.

" Tommy! Put me down! You're out of your mind!" her legs kicking, hoping they would make him stop. Her hands were not idle either. She hit his back repeatedly. " Tommy!"

" Don't move or I can drop you," he warned.

Kim's eyes met Trini's black ones. She saw mirth, satisfaction and glee. Oh… she's dead. Really dead!

Tommy carried her to the backyard where Kim noticed several people that gathering around Jason's pool. Zack was laughing so hard while Billy seemed to be very delighted by the sight of them.

" Yay, go Tommy!" someone shouted.

" Tommy! You ass, put me down! I said, put me-," her feet touched the ground though he kept one hand on her shoulder. " down,"

" There. A girl in pink," Tommy said to Jason. " now _you_ have to make that paper,"

Jason? Paper? "What?" Kim asked, still feeling a little lightheaded.

" Okay, Bro. Promise is a promise," Jason shook Tommy's extended hand firmly. Then he turned to the petite girl who was glaring at him. " hey… hi, Kim,"

" Don't 'hi, Kim' me, Jase! You, you two are…," her eyes moved from Jason and Tommy. Then they finally landed on Zack. " you all are jerks," with that she swirled around and dashed inside.

" Ouch! That hurts," Kim heard someone saying, followed by continuous laughters.

" Boys," she mumbled.

**- 10.30 p.m.**

" _Yeah, 'wear pink, Kim,' I should've known there's something up to your sleeves!" Kimberly said between gritted teeth. " I can't believe you set me up!"_

" _It's a pure coincidence, Honey," Zack tried to calm her down. " we're playing Truth or Dare and Jason dared Tommy to find a girl in pink, or else, Tommy would have to make the 6000 words History paper alone. You showed up here in that color so he chose you,"_

_Kim shot him a like-I-will-believe-that-crap look. " Yeah, right,"_

" _I take it that you two haven't kissed and made up yet, huh?" the dancer asked, moving to stand in front of her. " Tommy's right when he said your head is harder than a frozen pipe,"_

" _Zack! Which side you're on?" Kim pouted. _

" _Noone. The thing is, you like him," he quickly continued when she opened her mouth to protest. " you know you do. It's alright. He's better than that Winthrop guy after all. And… he had apologized, you've known the situation, why can't you just let it go? You'll have a peace of mind," _

" _You set me up, right? That 4000 words essai is bullshit," Kim challenged him. _

" _6000," he corrected. Kim nudged his arm. " okay, okay. We're hoping we could make a nice friendly atmosphere between you two,"_

" _As if,"_

Kim wandered around Jason's backyard. The Scott had a really beautiful garden with a medium sized swimming pool. She sat on the swing and looked at the small present Zack'd given her.

" _Accept this. It's from Tommy,"_

" _Tommy?" Kim asked in surprise. What? He's not so manly enough to face her? _

" _Knowing him, he probably wouldn't give this to you even until next month," Zack chuckled. " he's too nervous,"_

" _Coward," Kim muttered but accepting the small package. _

Kim slowly tore up the paper and her eyes misted up when she found a similar talking bear like she had given him inside. Instead of white, the bear was soft pink with the sweetest smile on its face. She smiled when she saw a note that said _'pinch my nose'_.

Kim smiled at his choice. There're some different types of bear. Hug me, pull my ear, kiss me and pinch my nose. Following the instruction, Kim gently pinched its petite nose.

' _Hi, Kimberly. I know, copycat. I admit that I stole this idea from your present. You can charge me if you want. I hope you don't mind. And you have to not mind because I'm telling you, this was the last pinch-my-nose talking bear and I had to literally fight this over from a forty five year old woman. Ha! Yes, I was that cruel. Thanks to you. _Kim laughed. So this was that thing he bought in _Yellow_. Poor Tommy.

_Anyway, I guess you have already had a good idea what I'm going to say, but I'll say it anyway. Look, Kim, I'm sorry. I know that I had hurt you. Trust me, I had no intention to do so. Whatever you saw, or thought, that's not true. I wouldn't be that heartless, I wouldn't do something to hurt you. _

_I'm angry with myself. You know, for making you upset. Honestly, I'm not good with words, I just hope you understand what I'm trying to say. The thing is, I'm sorry and I hope we can be friends again. I promise it won't happen again. Just let me prove it to you that I'm improving. Yes, you know what I mean, my Swiss cheese memory. My gift and my curse. I won't be late for our next date._

Date? Did he really say 'date'?

_I know I'm wasting a lot of space but I guess that's all. I'll continue when we're standing face to face. Okay, Hart? You had call me jerk countless time, threw my head with an apple, making me late until I had to face Mr. Kent's wrath… forgiving me is something that you have to do. Yup. You have to. _

_P.S.: If you want to hear my stunning, sexy voice all over again, just pinch my nose!_

Kim closed her eyes, breathing in the warm air of California. She felt better. Much better. This was so sweet of him. She felt special. Really special.

Marissa? Well, Tommy didn't argue with a forty year old lady for her, that's something.

Kim put the bear carefully on the swing and she got up, walking closer to the pool. Dropping the bear to the pool accidentally was so not cool. She couldn't stop the smile that had been half creeping over her face. She squatted and touched the water with her fingers.

" Kimberly?" Kim's heart nearly leaped to her throat when a voice called out for her. Tommy's.

" Hey," she answered, not bothering to turn around. Because if she did so, he would be able to see the big grin that plastered on her face.

" You got the bear?" he asked.

" Yup. Thanks," he chose pink, how cute was that? He remembered that pink was her favorite color. That's a plus for Tommy Oliver.

" So, you forgive me?"

Kim waited for fifteen seconds before answering. " Maybe,"

" Good,"

" I said maybe," Kim said again. Her fingers felt cold inside the water.

" Kim?"

" What?"

" Be my girlfriend,"

" What!" Kim's left hand that held the pool edge slipped and the gravity worked. She tumbled and fell forwards. Right into the pool.

" Kim!"

Once she resurfaced, she had a hard time to collect her thoughts. Did he really say what she thought she just heard just now? He asked her, to be his girlfriend? Tommy?

" Kim, are you okay?" Tommy crouched and reached out his hand. " come on, I'll pull you out,"

Kim swallowed hard, moving closer to the pool edge and Tommy's waiting hand. Her heart was beating so hard that she thought she could hear it. She looked up at Tommy's brown eyes. " You jerk! Look what you've done!"

" What have I done?" he asked back defensively. " come on, it's late. You don't want to get sick again, do you?"

" You becareful or you'll join me here," Kim threatened menacingly. Tommy grabbed her left arm. " wait! What you're saying. Did you mean that?"

Tommy's smile was coy. " Maybe,"

" Haha, very funny," Kim replied dryly. Then his eyes turned serious although the smile didn't disappear from his feature.

" I meant that and I still do,"

Holy Mary Mother of God… He really asked her to be his girlfriend! God! Kim, breathe, relax. Don't overreact. Just breathe…

" Kim?" he asked worrily. " come on, let's talk about it later. We don't want you to catch a cold tomorrow now, do we?"

" I just need time. Because once I get out of this pool, my status will change," she said shyly, having enough courage to look at his eyes that widened perceptibly.

Tommy grabbed Kim's arms with a firm but gentle grip and pulled her out of the water and straight into his embrace, catching her off guard. " Yes, you're my girlfriend,"

She's his girlfriend, he's her boyfriend. Someone, please pinch her hard. She's not dreaming, right?

" Tommy, you're all wet," Kim eased from his warm hug. He gave her his patented puppy dog look.

" Can't you say something more romantic than ' _Tommy, you're all wet_,'?" he chided her with a smile. "pathetic,"

" I can, but I don't want to,"

" So you're my girlfriend now," he declared happily, his hand rubbing a small circle on her back. " do you know why I chose that pinch my nose bear and not the other else? Like the 'kiss me' one?" he asked with a leer.

" No," Although she had a good idea why.

" Because I don't want you to kiss that bear. You can kiss me instead,"

" Kiss you?" he's her boyfriend, of course she could kiss him. Anytime she wanted to. God, this was too good to be true.

" Yup," then he pulled her closer and his lips descended on hers. Unlike the first kiss they shared months ago, this one was gentle and passionate all at once. And it surely didn't end up with a punch on his chiseled jaw. Tommy pecked a last kiss at her cheek and hugged her close. " this is nice,"

" Nice? That's your best romantic line?" Kim teased and giggled. " pathetic,"

" Very funny, Kim,"

------------------------------------------------

**: Yes! At last, after sixteen chapters of fighting, teasing and flirting. Tommy and Kimberly, finally an item. I hope I can post the next one soon. Thank you for reading and please don't forget to leave your reviews. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri ;)**


	18. Oh happy day

**You and I Both...**

**Disclaimer : Not mine, but I do own everything that isn't Power Rangers related.**

**: Thank you so much for all your reviews and I'm so sorry for not posting sooner, life has been extremely crazy. This is the new chapter, hope you enjoy! ; )**

* * *

**Chapter eighteen: Oh happy day…**

" _You two are dating?" Zack asked from his place which was one stair above Tommy. He traded glances with Jason before continuing. " officially dating? For real?"_

_At his friend's skepticism, Tommy sighed. He closed his History textbook, feeling secretly grateful that there's something to distract him from the test they'd get about fifteen minutes later. He craned his neck a little and narrowed his eyes at Jason and then at Zack. " What's that supposed to mean?"_

_Zack grinned. " Easy does it, Bro. It's just, when Trini told me that Kim had told her that you two were finally together, I didn't think you would be this bad," Tommy threw him a questioning look that made Zack went on, " even for me, someone who's with you and Kim almost all the time from morning 'till evening, I hardly could tell that you two are going out,"_

_Tommy growled at Zack's statement. " Is this about the early accident?" Early this morning, there's a guy named C.K. hitting on Kim. C.K. or Christopher Kendall on his identity card, even managed to land a quick peck on her cheek and about to move to another place before Jason grabbed his collar and practically kicked his ass. It's a pity that Tommy wasn't there when it happened. That Calvin Klein guy might be on his way to hospital if he was. _

" _We know C.K. isn't the only one who has a crush at Kim," Zack shrugged and patted Tommy's back consolidatingly. " I can't say that I blame him for that, though what he did was definitelty out of line..,"_

_Jason cut in," The point is, Zack here is wondering why you and Kim act as if nothing has happened, has changed between you two," _

" _It's been two days and I've never seen you holding hands," Zack pointed out, raising his forefinger which followed by his middle one. " or hugging, and not to mention kissing. Not even a single kiss on the cheek," _

" _That's not your problem. At all," Tommy said, glancing away. " we're not that type of couple who showed many PDAs,"_

" _Is Kim your first girlfriend?" Jason asked out of the blue and the faint blush that began creeping Tommy's face was enough to answer the question. " she is?" _

_It had not been his nature to discuss his love life with his friends.Well, it's not like he had many though. And it's about to change right now, with Jason, Zack, Billy and Trini around. " Yeah…," He felt a bit self-conscious about himself and for not measuring up with Kim's standard of a perfect boyfriend. Although Jason had assured him that Kim didn't ask for a 'perfect boyfriend' but someone who could be there for her and loved her at the same time._

" _It's okay. Kim could be your first and last girlfriend," Zack voiced happily. _

" _Sometimes…," Tommy started. " it feels weird that Kim and I are no longer friends. I mean, we're still friends, but we can also doing… those things that you said," _

" Hey, Kim," Tommy said and leaned against the locker next to Kim's. The petite girl glanced at him for a second and smiled.

" Hi, Tommy," she continued writing something on her notebook. " wait, wait.. Just let me..,"

" Kim, you're my girlfriend and I'm your boyfriend," he said dully. The girlfriend and boyfriend titles were still so brand new for him.

Kim giggled. " and two times two are four, three times three are nine," she closed her book and shoved her pen to her pocket. " what's wrong?"

" Nothing," Tommy tucked a strand of Kim's chestnust hair behind her ear. Kim turned to face him, her doe eyes exploring his face intently.

" Is this something about what Jason and Zack said?" she asked.

" What?" Tommy couldn't help his tongue. Did Jason and Zack have the same conversation with her?

" Don't bother them. They're just teasing you," Kim said, hitting his chest playfully. " you should hear what Trini said to me when she knew that we're dating right now,"

" Which was…," Tommy let his sentence hanging, watching Kim impatiently. His girlfriend only flashed him a tiny mysterious smile and put a hand on his arm.

" I'm not telling,"

Tommy looked at Kim's smug smile and had to display one of his own in return. " I know for a fact that you won't tell me 'till the world ended," she nodded vigorously. "..so, I won't waste my time by begging you and move to another important topic,"

" Important?" she cocked her eyebrow curiously.

" Tonight, you and I, The Grove Cineplex, 6 p.m. what'd you say?" Tommy said in one breath of air. "our officially first date and I promise you, this time, everything will be different," he said, hinting at the first and last time they decided to go on a 'date' that turned into a horrible disaster.

Kim moved on her feet, her teeth biting her lips, acting like she's reconsidering the offer. " I don't know… who knows what will happen? Maybe you'll forget me altogether AGAIN and perhaps the weather will not agree with me and I will have to wait for you under the rain for the second time while you're having a nice hot cup of chocolate with a girl…,"

" You won't let that go, will you," Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

" Excuse me?" Kim crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. " you really think I would forget what you did to me? You should've known me better, Oliver,"

Tommy knew that she's only joking but somehow it brought the tinge of old guilt back. Kim's naughty smile faded when she saw his face fall.

" Tommy… I was kidding," Kim said and to lighten up the mood, chimed up," and what did I say about you and your habit of blaming yourself? Should I give you another bear or what? Oh course, you're guilty for what had happened, but that's in the past and now is now. If you dare enough to hurt me again, you're a dead meat, Buddy," she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.

He smiled, loving the way she could put him at ease although he still hadn't completely forgiven himself for the things he did. " Letting you pay ten bucks for that bear? Uh oh, I got a better idea, why don't you remind me everytime I start that guilty feeling trip? It's cheaper,"

" That's very wise of you" was her answer.

" Then again, I'll pick you up personally. How's that sound?"

Kim lifted her head, gnawing her lips rather nervously. She didn't have to say it, he knew. " You haven't told your mother about us?"

" You do realize how crazy this is, right? Your father and my mom, you and me? That's total insane," she said in frustated, looking away from Tommy. " I don't know how she's gonna take this,"

" If this can make you feel better, I haven't told my Dad as well," Tommy admitted quietly. The words just didn't want to come out.

" And this definitely will make you feel better," Kim said. " my mother won't be back from work until ten or eleven, so that means you can pick me up and drop me off without her knowing," she stopped, searching his face. " you know, that I'm going out with you. But even if she's there, Mom probably won't suspect anything. After all, she knows that we're friends,"

" Good," Tommy raised his arm and looked down at his watch. " I have to go. See you tonight," after that said, he's not moving. Kimberly, knowing what happened here, smiled. To make it easier for him, she simply turned her head a little, giving him an access to her right cheek, all the while trying to suppress her laugh. He's so confident about everything but when it had come to a boy and girl relationship… Kim found that was very cute of him.

" Go ahead, you know you want to," Kim challenged, her voice wavering. She might be acting too overconfident but the conversation with Zack earlier braved her to do so.

Tommy grinned and instead of doing what he'd intended to do, he extending his hand and pinching her cheek. " Later,". With that he took off, leaving a slightly startled Kimberly standing in front of her locker.

" Tommy!"

**- Hart Resident**

**05.55 p.m. **

Kim tapped the floor, following the rhythm of the slow song playing on the radio. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the clock hanging on the wall. 05.56. Well, let's see if he would keep his promise this time. She smoothed down her skirt. It's new and the grey fabric stopped just about six centimeters above her knees. Short enough to tempt Tommy. Kim grinned.

They're finally together. It's still like a dream for her. They started as enemies but ended up as couple. Things like that only happened in those romance novels she once used to read.

Her mother called about ten minutes ago to check on her daughter. Kim had told her that she would go to the movie but oh so not by accident let the fact that she's going with Tommy slipped away.

"_Jerk," Kim mumbled under her breath, watching as Tommy walk away casually from her. " just wait,"_

_When Tommy finally gone, Kim frowned when a blonde girl whose name was Beverly showed up on the corner and walked straight to, what Kim sured, her direction. _

_Tommy Oliver was a great catch in Angel Grove High so that it was pretty understandable if once the words spread out that the mighty hunk had been taken, the Tommy Oliver Fanclub would soon disholved into the Kimberlt Hart Haters Fanclub. IF the words had spread out, which she's not too sure about that. Both Tommy and she had kept things between them low profile and since Jason and the gang pointed out that their new relationship was kind of invisible to everyone else, the Kim Hart Haters Fanclub might haven't been establish yet. _

" _Hi, Kimberly," the knocked out blonde said. Today she curled her hair and pinned it up above her head. _

" _Beverly," _

" _So… I've heard," Bev's lips curled into a nasty smile and Kim knew whatever coming out from her mouth wouldn't be good, just like always. _

" _Heard about what?" Kim kept her voice steady. _

" _About you and Tommy, of course," Bev frowned, looking down at the much shorter girl like Kim was stupid. " that is so wow,"_

_Wow? Beverly said 'wow'? Was that sarcasm? " What?"_

" _You're going to be his sister. Congratulation," Beverly patted Kim's shoulder before turning around and leaving the still shocked Kimberly. _

" _What!"_

Seemed that the redhead Marissa couldn't keep the information to herself so she just had to tell Beverly and when the later mentioned already knew, it just about time until the whole school found out.

Was that a good excuse to hate Ms. Perfect-in-Everything-But-Sorry-You-Don't-Get-the-Guy?

_Ding...dong…_

The door bell cut her train of thoughts and Kim leaped out of the comfy chair. 06.02. He was just two minutes late. She walked straight to the door, taking a few seconds to make sure that she looked presentable. Kim unlocked the door and swang it open. Her mouth was half opened, ready to greet the guy that had stolen her heart when all of the sudden her nose went itch and a so-not-lady-like sneeze escaped her nose.

Oh. My. God. Kimberly!

" Kim?" Tommy asked, his voice was a mixture between worry and amused. " are you alright?" he moved to touch her shoulder.

" Yes, I'm..," Kim rubbed her nose and lifted her head to get a good look at Tommy. And well, he looked good. Too good. " I can't believe I greeted you with a sneeze,"

" Nothing to surprise me, Beautiful," he chuckled lightly.

_Beautiful?_ It wouldn't happen again. Ever.

Speak of the devil…

It struck again. The itchiness. Right when Tommy was half way to kiss her cheek. No! This mustn't happen right now!

Before he succeeded, Kim turned her face and once again, sneezing. She could feel her face turn red. What happened to her? What with this sudden influenza?

" Kim?" Tommy asked again, putting his large hand on her shoulder. " are you sick? Maybe we can reschedule,"

" No!" she cut him off before he could finish. His brown eyes looked down at her with concern. " I'm okay. I don't know what's wrong with me. Just-," she sneezed, indicating that she wasn't okay like she said. Again. And again. No, please, make this stop!

" Kimberly? I think we really should cancel this evening," Kim could tell that he really was worried about her and that made things much worse. All she could do was shaking her head because this whole sneezing crap was still going on with no sign would stop.

What's wrong with her? She was okay this morning, she's okay when she's practising at the Youth Center and she's even okay when Beverly threw her 'congratulation' to her face. She was okay all day.

" Let's get in, you shouldn't be outside in your condition," his arm reached for her shoulder and pulled her to him.

" No, Tommy, I'm not sick," what could she say, he dragged her back to the house. He used his foot to kick the door close because his other hand was full. Kim's eyes went saucer. Oh my God. This couldn't happen to her.

The first time Kimberly experienced the same thing was when she was eight. Her mother just went home from her Aunt's house and when the little Kim trotted to her mom, just like tonight her nose went prickly and she began to sneeze like crazy. Long story short: roses. That night, Caroline Hart brought back tons of red roses from Aunt Marie's beautiful garden.

Kim was allergic to roses and her boyfriend brought a handful of roses for her. Two dozens, if not more. This was disaster and the date hadn't even started.

She always found it so annoying that of all kind of flowers in the universe, she had to get allergic to roses. Why not the sun flowers? Or orchid? Why roses? The symbol of true love?

" Sit down," Tommy commanded softly and guided her to sit down. " I'll get you a drink," he put the bouquet of pink and white roses on the table and flew to the kitchen, trying to get her a water.

Kim couldn't believe this. How could she miss _that_ when she first opened the door? The bouquet wasn't the small one. She personally blamed him for showing too handsome for that.

She clamped her nose with her hand, staring at the flowers with horror. How something so beautiful could cause something so terrible like this? Kim's too busy glaring at the roses that she didn't notice that Tommy had come back with a glass of water.

" Here," he took her free hand and handed the glass. Taking a seat on the armchair Kim was sitting on, he joked, " I didn't poison it, you know,"

Making up her mind, Kim quickly got up and walked as far as possible from the flowers. When she thought the distance was safe enough, she bringing her hand down.

" Kim?"

" Tommy, I need to tell you something," Kim began. " it's so sweet of you, bringing me those roses, but-,"

" Ah! I almost forgot," he snapped his fingers together and leaned over to pick the bouquet. Kim's eyes widened when Tommy rose from his seat and walked closer to her. " you love roses, don't you? I especially went to three different florists to get you this," he declared proudly.

She loved roses? Where the hell he got that information? Three florists he said? Oh… Tommy definitely had changed from a jerk to a gentleman.

" Here you go," he erased the distance between them in four wide steps and lifted up his hand, positioning the flowers right under her nose. It was just about time until the disaster broke.

" Oh God," the countless sneezes had begun to make her a little lightheaded. She clamped her nose once again and left him to stand under the stairs. " Tommy, look,"

" Okay, Kim, maybe you should see the doctor," he suggested.

She didn't know what to do except to just blurt it out. " Tommy, the flowers… I'm,"

Silent for seven awkwards seconds and a flash of understatement flickered in his eyes. Tommy had figured it out and put two and two together. His face went pale and he unconsciously dropped the bouquet to the floor. " Aww, Kim, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Then she watched mutely as he pick the flowers and walk to the kitchen. " No!" she nearly shouted when Tommy drop the bouquet directly into the trash bin. Those were beautiful. Scary, but pretty, not to mention expensive.

" So, you're allergic to roses?" Tommy asked when he'd joined Kim in the living room. " roses? I feel deeply sorry for you, Kimberly," he teased.

" Shut up," Kim plunged herself back to the sofa. Her heart's still beating fast and her nose was hurt.

" I'm sorry," he said and sat beside her. Kim turned her head to look at him.

" Do you remember what I said in school? If you hurt me again, you're a dead meat," she poked his chest and received an amused look from the pony tailed martial artist.

" I didn't do it on purpose," he took Kim's hand in his and squeezed it. " if I knew I wouldn't bring it on the first place,"

That reminded her of something he said and she just had to ask. " You said that I loved roses? I'm sure I've never told you that,"

Tommy wore a bashful grin. " Never, ever, trust Jason anymore,"

" What?" Kim immediately straightened her back, looking at Tommy with wide eyes. " Jason told you that roses are my favorite flowers?"

" _Are you open to any suggestions?" Jason asked after they'd finished sparing. He grabbed his towel and wiped his sweaty face. _

" _Suggestions?"_

" _Bring her flowers. That always does the trick. Take roses with you. She loves them," _

_Tommy gave Jason a hesitant look. " Roses?" _

" _Yeah, bring her roses and tell me how it's going tonight,"_

And Tommy thought the bright smile Jason wore was caused by his sincerity of helping him. That man… "He's dead. You know, the dead meat is not me but Jason. We'll kill him tomorrow,"

" Counting on it," Kim nodded and leaned her head to rest against his shoulder. " that's too bad. The flowers are so pretty," she sighed longingly.

" Dating you is always full of surprises," Tommy said contentedly. " and for future references, I hate jasmine. Unlike you, it can make me dizzy under a second. So, never buy me jasmine,"

" I thought buying flowers is the guys' job?"

" But I do love your jasmine shampoo," he continued, smiling sweetly at her and gained a playful slap on his right cheek.

" You really went to three florist to buy me those?" Kim shifted until she face him. " really?"

Tommy chose to ignore the question. He leered at her. " Can I finish my unfinish job?"

Kim recalled the scene in front of her locker and decided to play along. " Later," she repeated his word and got up. " come on or we would miss the movie,"

**Tommy and Kimberly**

**- Angel Grove Park **

**09.25 p.m.**

" Would it ever come the day when we could see a thriler or a horror movie?" Tommy asked while they're walking to the pond. They had seen a comedy romance that Kim chose. Thankfully, it's not too cheesy and sappy like he thought it would be.

" I don't know, but I guess Marissa will be more than happy to accompany you…," she said, batting her eyelashes innocently at him. "you're not too dense until you don't know that she has it bad for you, are you?"

Tommy shrugged and drapped an arm over her shoulder, just like he did the whole time in the theater. Kim wound her arm around his firm waist and leaned closer. " Well, I have it bad for you,"

" Nice one," Kim responded and he squeezed her arm tightly. " today your other big fan, Beverly, congratulated me,"

" For what?" Kim threw him a strange look at his absurd question.

" Isn't it obvious? What else? She knows that we're going to be brother and sister. Someone just can't keep her mouth shut," Kim commented sardonically.

" You're being mean," he chided her gently.

" You blame me?" she shot back defensively.

" We should tell them, Kim,"

" We will," Kim agreed. The sooner they let it out, the better.

They stopped when they'd reached a nice spot just over the water. The street lamp illuminated the pond and gave them an eerie feeling. Tommy looked down at the petite brunette standing next to him. It still amazed him at how things turned out into. He used to hate her so much but now he didn't even want to think about not seeing her even for only just a day. That'd be not a really good day if that happened. Despite everything he, Jason and Zack talked about in school, Tommy could be more open if there're only the two of them all alone. Just Kim and him.

" Kim, you know-,"

" No, I don't know," she answered and laughed. " sorry. Continue, please,"

Tommy counted until five to calm himself and said, " I think I'm in love with you,"

Kim's mouth opened but no words came out. Her soft brown eyes gazed into Tommy's darker ones, wanting to make sure if he meant it. He gripped her chin and closed her mouth.

" Becareful or the fly would get into your mouth,"

Kim smirked and let his words sink in. He was so handsome standing there and he fell in love with her. Goodbye Marissa and Beverly and everyone who adored this guy. Tommy Oliver was her property. Damn, it was good to finally say it out loud.

He loved her.

" You _think_?" she pointed out impishly.

" I'm in love with you," he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead. " we hated each other but somehow I got used to your nagging," Kim rewarded him with a smack on his forearm. " I don't know exactly when was the feelings changed but I feel secure with you,"

" The feeling's mutual," Kim told him sincerely. " and nagging you is always fun,"

" Now that it's settled, can we finish the 'later'?" Tommy asked, pulling her even closer. " no answer means yes. Good," with that he bent down and kissed her. His arms wrapped around her small figure and when she kissed him back just as willingly, his grip on her tightened. When the need of air became an issue, the two pulled away. " I have something for you," he gave her a small paper bag, a shy smile merried his feature.

Kim eyed him inquisitively and opened it, peeking inside. She licked her lips and pulled out a small rectangle from the bag. " Strawberry bubble-gum?" at his lopsided trademark grin, she pulled put another one and found," strawberry lollipop?"

The paper bag was filled with bubble-gum, lollipop, candies, and chocolates. Everything was on strawberry flavor. Kim snorted when she took out the last item. " A toothpaste?"

" With strawberry flavor," Tommy said, pointing his finger at the bold sign on the box. " it's brand new,"

" Oh, Tommy… where'd you get all these?"

" When you're going to the ladies room, I was busy too," he said. He bought everything at the refreshment stand. It only took five minutes.

" They sold toothpaste?" Kim asked in disbelief.

" They gave it out for free. You know, for promotion," Tommy said, ruffling her hair. " so, is this make it up for the early catastrophe? You're not allergic to strawberry, right?"

" How could you tell that I love strawberries?"

" I have my own source," he replied arrogantly. " a reliable and trustful source,"

" Not Jason I assumed," Kim laughed and he joined her. She surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "oh, Tommy… I hate you so much!"

" I hate you too," he hugged her back.

**The Oliver Residence**

" _We have to tell them tonight. K', Tommy?" Kim said when he stopped the jeep on Kim's driveway._

" _Alright. Goodnight, Kim. I'll see you tomorrow?" _

" _Yup," she leaned over and kissed him briefly before jumping down and got into the house. _

Tommy closed the door behind him and took off his jacket. He walked into the living room and found his father in his usual place, reading the paper. Benjamin closed the newspaper when he saw his son.

" Hi, Dad,"

" Tommy, there's something I need to tell you," Ben started when Tommy took a seat across him.

" Same here. You go first,"

Ben smiled and said, " We're moving back,"

* * *

**: That's the end of this chapter. Tommy got another bombshell, what would happen next? Thank you for reading and please don't forget to leave your reviews, they mean a lot to me and they brighten up my days. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri : )**


	19. When I say nothing at all

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : Not mine, I just own characters and places that are not Power Rangers related.**

**: Yay, another updates just within a couple of days. Thank you for everyone who has reviewed, I appreciate them so much. This is the next chapter and it's not as long as some previous ones but I hope you like it. Enjoy! ; )**

* * *

**Chapter nineteen: When I say nothing at all**

_The world seemed to stop spinning after the 'moving back' words slipped out of his father's mouth. He must have been misheard because he thought his Dad just said that they're going to move back to Texas and that was just not possible. Right?_

" _W-what?" he stammered when he finally found his voice back and even then his voice was trembling slightly. _

_Ben cleared his throat and clasped his hands together. His brown eyes that mirrored Tommy's appeared to be dark. " I realize that this is too sudden, I know that. Actually the offer came to me about four days ago and I was looking for the best time to tell you,"_

" _I can't believe you did it again," Tommy lifted his head to glare at his father. He couldn't help it. " first, you're on purposed not telling me about your relationship with Ms.Hart and now this? You didn't even ask for my opinion. I'm your son?" _

" _I'm telling you right now, aren't I?" Ben answered rather annoyingly and that fueled Tommy's irritation even more. Who's supposed to be angry, he or his father? _

" _I don't even get a say on this one, you're stating that we're moving back," Tommy said with greeted teeth, gone was all the good mood from the previous date with Kimberly. He couldn't leave Angel Grove. Now, this place was his 'home'. He loved it here, much more than Texas. Sure, he didn't think he would get attached to this town as fast as he had, but with all of his friends here, moving back was the last thing in his mind. No, incorrect. Going back had never ever flashed in his mind. Maybe once or twice when things between him and Kim were still raw, but now? He was sure as hell didn't want to leave Kim. " what the deal with it anyway? What happened?"_

" _I was offered a better position in the company," Ben said quietly, leaning back against his comfy armchair. " as the general manager. The old one is going to retire soon and they're looking for someone who can take over. The situation right now at the Texas branch has been a little hairy lately, so they called me back," he added. The company Benjamin Oliver worked at was one of the largest shipping companies in the States and he had dedicated thirteen years of his life working there. _

" _How about Ms. Hart?" Tommy asked dryly. His Dad couldn't just leave her, just like Tommy couldn't leave Kim so easily._

" _What about her?" Ben's plain answer surprised Tommy. _

" _Well, what did she say about this?" _

" _She believed that my final decision would be the best for us all,"_

_Tommy raised his eyebrows. " Just that? She said that she trusted you?" _

_Ben's chocolate eyes softened a bit and he leaned over, a soft whisper coming out past his lips." Son, you do know that Caroline and I are no longer dating, don't you?"_

_Silence dropped all over again in the Oliver living room. The only sound that was heard was just the neighbour next door's old terrier. He didn't believe this. His dad and Kim's mom were no longer together. Now they didn't have to sweat over the fact that they, mother-father and daughter-son, dating each other._

_One problem finished, here comes another one. Since when did his life become so complicated? _

" _As a matter of fact, no, I don't know that," _

_Ben picked his coffee and took a long sip. " We decided that being friends are the best for us," _

_Tommy remained silent. He'd never wanted to know about his Dad's love life and he wouldn't start tonight. _

" _You said you're going to say something?" Ben asked. _

_Tommy looked at his father for a long while, thoughts swirling around in his head. " When do they expect your answer?" _

" _As soon as possible," he put the cup back on the table. " look, Tommy. I don't want to give you any pressure and forcing you to move is definitely not my intention. Just… think about it first, won't you?" _

_Tommy licked his dry lips, his eyes dropped to the floor. He hoped that the green carpeted floor would pry open and swallow him fully. _

" Tommy? Hello, earth to Tommy? You in there?" he blinked when Kim waved her hand in front of his face. Her pout left her beautiful face when he finally smiled apologetically at her and turned his focus back to her. " where were you just now? I've been calling out for you since ten minutes ago,"

" Ten minutes?"

" Well, fifteen or twenty seconds, actually," Kim stood up and dragged her chair closer to Tommy. " but you've had ignored me for the last ten minutes. You're not listening to what I was saying,"

" Sorry, spaced out for a while," Tommy said and took Kim's hand, tracing her knuckles with his fingers.

" It's obvious," Kim nudged his arm and used her other hand to grab her smoothie. Ernie's was the best in town. " you know, it's still weird for me, to be able to hold your hand anytime I want, hug you or kiss you…," she rested her chin on his broad shoulder, letting her warm breath tickling Tommy's cheek.

" So, it's a bad thing?" he teased to hide the crack on his heart. If he moved, she couldn't hold his hand, hug and kiss him anytime she wanted and vice versa.

" Honestly, I like it so much," she said sincerely, getting a smile from him. She pulled back from him and it was when someone called out for Tommy with a cheery tune. Tommy sighed when Marissa patted his back to get his attention. He was fully aware at Kim's eyes that watching the whole process even though she didn't say anything.

" Hi, Tommy," Marissa said once again, standing beside their table. Her hands hugged three books to her chest. Tommy nodded in reply. " Hi, Kim," she turned to the pink clad gymnast sitting next to Tommy.

" Hey," Kim's voice was a bit ice cold. She still couldn't accept that Marissa had spread out the words about her and Tommy's parents going out.

Tommy had to swallow his smile when Kim moved closer and linked her arm with his. If he assumed rightly, the redhead hadn't known about his still fresh relationship with Kimberly yet and that wouldn't stay long because he knew what Kim was doing right now. Now, now, someone's a little bit possessive, wasn't it? "What's up?"

Marissa smiled nerveously. " I just want to say that I'm sorry. I swear, I didn't mean it until the whole school knew about your parents. It's just… my tongue slipped when I was talking to Jessica, but-,"

" It's okay," Kim assured her, not waiting for Marissa to finish her appeared to be nicely rehearsed speech. "that's no longer an issue anymore,"

" Really?" Marissa's surprise was apparent in those hazel eyes.

" Kim's right," Tommy looked down at the smirking brunette and gave her one of his owns.

" Tommy, you're all sweaty," Kim took the towel from his hand and run the cloth all over his face. Her face was serene and innocent but Tommy knew better. Although she'd never complained anything about Marissa's possible crush at him, he could sense the insecurity in those brown eyes. Not that she needed to actually, because at this moment, he had no interest in any other girl who wasn't her. " you better grab a shower immediately,"

The tightening grip on Marissa's books signaled that she had sensed something was certainly different here, but she made no move.

" Yeah, I think I better,"

" Good," Kim touched his nose briefly and went," even though I'm not complaining because I think you're so hot with all sweaty after practising," Kim was positively showing off in front of Marissa and Tommy tried his best to hold back the laugh that had threatened to break free. Then Kimberly turned her head and looked up at Marissa. She said to the stunned girl," don't you agree? Don't you think that I'm so lucky to have the hottest guy in Angel Grove as my boyfriend?"

Tommy succeeded in masking his laugh by coughing. Those words were something that she wouldn't ever say in front of people. Trini or Jason perhaps, but not Marissa. And with him there too. Kim never said something like that to him and he doubted she ever would. Well, maybe someday.

Kimberly Hart: Mission Accomplished.

Marissa gulped like a fish out of the water, her eyes bulging and she looked at Kim with disbelief. As if to search for a confirmation, her eyes moved to Tommy. " You two are dating?"

" Yeah…," Tommy answered, feeling a bit unease to be stared with such an intense gaze.

" Oh, wow, I don't know what to say. Congratulation, I think," she smiled wryly, cleary running out of anything to say.

" Thanks," after another smile, she left them. Tommy couldn't help his snort any longer and his laugh broke at the minute Marissa was out of sight.

" I'm the hottest guy in Angel Grove, huh?" Tommy said, still grinning widely. " you think you're so lucky to have me as your boyfriend?"

Kim bit her lips hard and the smile vanished from her face. " I was being too mean, wasn't I? I've shouldn't done that,"

At her sudden changed of mood, Tommy's eyebrows stood up. " What? You changed your mind already? I really should have that 'my-boyfriend-is-the-hottest-guy' written on a piece of paper," Kim poked him and pouted. " okay, so you're being possessive, that's normal. She will find out sooner or later anyway. You just made it sooner,"

" I was not being possessive," Kim's eyes narrowed.

" Yes, you were,"

" Whatever," Kim sighed and the topic was put aside. Her face turned serious. " it's true though. Now that our parents are not dating each other anymore, you and I are no longer on the table. It shocked me when my mom said they'd decided to be just friends though,"

Tommy felt his heart beating faster at the mention of her mother. He studied her face closely, wanting to know if Ms. Hart said another thing beside her and his father final decision to end their short term relationship. He released a breath of relief when Kim didn't say anything about Texas. He wanted to tell her himself but the words just couldn't be formed. The only person knew about it was just Jason and Tommy had warned him for not saying a word about it in front of the guys and Kim.

" Tommy?"

" Nothing. I think I'll go grab shower. You wait for me, okay?" he slipped out of the chair and took his bag with him.

" Sure,"

**Tommy and Kimberly**

**- Angel Grove Park**

**The next day **

Marissa knew. About the moving plan. If anybody was deserved to know about it, the person was Kimberly. But he hadn't told her yet and somehow, Marissa knew. Okay, so it was by accident alright. He was talking to Jason and not notice the third party that was standing near them. It was purely a coincidence so Marissa was not the person to blame. She's just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Marissa. It's funny how of hundreds of the students attending the high school, it got to be her. At least he had made her promise not to tell anyone and really NOT a single soul this time.

Thus Tommy thought that this day was the right time to tell Kimberly. Hiding something from her was the last thing he wanted. People said that honesty, beside trust, was the basic fondation that made a relationship work. He'd asked her to meet him at the Park, telling her that he needed to say something.

The Park, despite being the place of catastrophic weeks ago, had become one of their most favorite places to hang out at. Now they both were sitting under a big tree, resting their backs against each other's.

" I got a phone call from my friend in Mexico," Kim said. " her name is Gina and I knew her from a gymnastic competition three years ago. She's a really good gymnast,"

" Better than you, I guess?" he joked, making an attempt to test her patience.

" I can tumble and flip back but yes, she's much better than me," her answer was lack of sarcasm but she gave Tommy's back a thud. "now back to the topic. She called me. Hmm… how I'm gonna start this? Okay. She had a boyfriend named Alex,"

" Had?" Tommy asked, hearing the past tense using.

" They broke up," she clarified and pulled some hair off her face. " or more likely, he broke things off,"

He felt her shifting and he peered over his shoulder to see Kim straighten her back and move around to face the pond. He followed her. " What happened?"

" Gina and Alex had been together for the last two and a half year when Alex was offered a schoolarship at Yale," Kim spoke, her eyes looking blankly to the still water. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them. " I've met him twice. He's a really nice guy. Good looking, nice sense of humor… you saw them and you'd know instantly that they're in love,"

" If they were so in love like you'd said then why they broke up?" Tommy leaned back, supporting his body on his hands and stretching out his jeans clad long legs. " something must have happened,"

" Something did happen. You know, a long distance relationship… it's hard sometimes to be away from the person you love," her softly spoken words hit home so much that Tommy shivered.

Long distance relationship.

Did he love Kim? Well, the answer was as clear as the day. He did. It's true that they just met for a short period of time and that they used to hate each other so much or how they always spent day by day with fighting and arguing… But it was also true that he had never felt this strange yet incredible feeling in his heart before. Never let any girl get close to him like he did Kim and he certainly had never gone to bed with a girl in his mind before.

Long distance relationship. Despite everything, could their relationship survive if he left Angel Grove?

" For the first two months, things were still alright between them," Kim went on with her story. " or so they thought. But we have to be realistic. When you're apart from each other, everything could happen, whether you want it or not," she took a short glimpse at him and smiled to lighten up the mood. " Gina and Alex were busy with their own business and they're just… almost losing contact. Both were very busy people and to find times to call or write was difficult between their hectic schedules. They're drifting apart,"

" And then?" every word pouring out from her mouth seemed to remind him of the things that could happen to _them_.

" After sometimes, Gina received a letter from Alex. She expected it to be a long, heartfelt love letter from her boyfriend overseas but sadly, it turned out to be a broke up letter. He didn't have enough guts to pick up the phone and call her but sending her a letter instead. Can you believe that? That's so heartless," Kim mumbled, breathing hard from repressing her rising anger. " to complete the tragedy, Alex wrote that he had found someone else. That, of course, crushed Gina to no end,"

Breaking up through a letter? This was the first time he heard about that kind of ways to break up with somebody's girlfriend and yes, he had to agree with Kim. It _was_ heartless. At least, this Alex guy could call her and explain how things had gone wrong between them personally and not by a letter.

" Kimberly," he had to tell her. He mustn't put this off any longer or this would drive him crazier than it already had. He was tongue tied when Kim scooted closer and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Kim?"

" I won't lie to you, Tommy," she buried her face on his shoulder, her voice was muffled. " when Gina told me about this, I was afraid. I am afraid. I'm scared that… I don't want to lose you. You mean a lot to me,"

The honesty of her words stirred something in Tommy's heart. " You won't lose me,"

" I know that I'm being silly," Kim pulled away a little to look him in the eyes. Her lips curved into a bashful smile. " I mean, our situation is so different with them so I'm sure everything will be just fine,"

" That's right," Tommy felt like a big two-faced jerk.

" Good," Kim hugged him once again and this time he returned her hug, kissing the top of her head. She sighed when his arms on her tightened. " it's not like you will disappear from the earth tomorrow," she chuckled at her words. " right, Tommy?"

He bit back his words. His early intention of bringing her here was being locked up once again. He couldn't say it to her. Not now, at least.

" Tommy?" she frowned when he's not responding.

His fingertips gently traced her lips and he replied, " I'm always gonna be with you until you're getting sick of me,"

Kim giggled. " Really?"

" Yeah… I won't leave you," he was relief that for once, Kim didn't notice the uncertainty hiding in his voice.

* * *

**: And that's the end of this chapter. Thank you for reading. This chapter is Tommy oriented and this is short, I know. Honestly, I felt rather sad when I was writing this one. This chapter is kinda emotional, I think. And I believe you all aware of my twist at Alex's broke up letter for Gina. Even until this very second, I still can't accept the fact that they made Kim wrote that 'Dear John' letter to Tommy! I don't think I will ever could. There're still probably about two or three chapters left on this story. I honestly didn't plan this to be this long, but well, it's nineteen chapters already and I didn't even realize that. I hope you keep reading and please don't forget to leave your reviews. They really mean a lot for me. But as always, NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri : )**


	20. Cry me a river

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer : Not mine, I just own everything that's Power Rangers unrelated.**

**: Thank you for all the reviews, everyone. You certainly knew how to make my day! This is the twentieth chapter, one step closer to the end. Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Cry me a river**

" Are you like crazy or what? You haven't told her?" Zack blurted out blatantly, ignoring Trini's warning look and Jason's light jab on his ribs. The two of them understood Tommy's state right now and pointing the finger at him was not the best solution to solve things out. " Tommy, you're really too much!"

" Don't be too malicious," Billy cut in, looking at Tommy's fed-up face and back at Zack. " maybe we should let him talk first,"

Tommy sighed, paying attention to his fingers and not to his friends surrounding him at their usual table. The gang was complete, minus Kimberly who was missing at the moment due to the meeting with Ms. Monique, but she'd be here anytime soon. " I know that, you don't have to tell me how crazy I am. I was so close of telling her but then, when she brought up the story about how her friends' relationship falling apart when one of them moved out to another country… the words seemed to die in my mouth," especially after the hug and her sincere words, the words failed him.

" _Now I can go to bed with so much better feeling," Kim said, flashing him a sly grin. Tommy had taken her to the beach to watch the sunset. Their first sunset if she didn't count the sunset on the Covenant Island months ago. It made her both excited and giddy at the same time. _

" _Really?" Tommy asked, forcing a small smile. This didn't make things any better. It got worse. It's his fault, as always. He's the one who made things got more complex than before. " good, then you can dream about me,"_

_Kim dropped herself into the warm sand beside Tommy. Without looking at him, she grabbed his arm and hugged it, nuzzling her cheek like a kitten. She grinned rather sheepishly at him. Their relationship was still so new and it felt weird to be affectionate at someone who once upon a time was her sworn enemy."even though this is good, I miss the old times,"_

" _The old times?"_

" _Yes. When I hated you so much and you hated me so much and all we did everyday was just trying to piss each other off," that made him smiled fondly at the memories. " don't you?"_

_Tommy chuckled openedly. " Sorry to disappoint you, Kim, but missing you punching me, slapping me and making me get into detention? Nah…,"_

" _Good to know you miss it just the same that you remember all the things I've done to you," Kim retorted back and stucked out her tongue. " and for reference, I have never slapped you. But I can do it right now if you want me to," her eyes looked at him innocently. _

" _We didn't even have time to flirt at each other," Tommy said, absently dipping his fingers into the sand. _

" _Excuse me? I told you to work on your terrible, lame memory and you did nothing!" Kim pulled back just enough to look up at his glaring eyes. " well, you did flirt with me. That flower you brought me at the hospital, that peck you gave me when I was in capable to shove you away, and how about the party at Zack's? You wanted to have me as your date but you're too bashful to say just that. The same happened with that disastrous date you asked me to. That down payment thing was just a camouflage and you know it as clearly as I am," _

_Tommy made no attempt to object. " I remember that kiss you gave me after Mr. Kent went away," it's Tommy's turn to turn the table. " and also the hug when I agreed I'd accompany you playing spies… and how about you cuddling and clinging at me at the cinema? You have liked me, long before you admitted it,"_

" _Dream on. Don't be too smug, I'm sure you have liked me far before I realized that I maybe have developed feelings towards you," _

" _Maybe?" he snorted. " yeah, okay, maybe…,"_

" _You jerk," _

" _Thank you,"_

" _Are we flirting right now?" Kim leaned closer and batted her eyelashes playfully. _

_Tommy used her earlier word to answer, " I don't know, maybe,"_

_Then the two of them remained silent, just enjoying the closeness and simply being together. Tommy wrapped an arm around Kim's shoulder and pressed a kiss on her head when the sun started to go behind the waterline. Kim sighed. _

" _It's beautiful, don't you think?"_

" _Not more beautiful than the girl beside me," _

_Kim cleared her throat and tried her best to repress her smirk. " That really was a terrible line,"_

" _Kim," he warned her. _

" _and cheesy," she continued, enjoying every bit of it. " not too mention so corny,"_

" _I-,"_

" _But I can get used to it," Kim finished, gracing him with her brightest smile before leaning over and meeting Tommy's descending lips._

" Sooner or later, she'd find out, Tommy," Trini said solemnly, snapping him back from his reverie. While he went to bed with a little better feeling, the nightmare following it definitely screwed him up. "and it's better if she hears it from you,"

" Don't I know that," Tommy muttered back half frustatingly.

" Hiding this for so long is not very fair to her," Jason added and even though he didn't mean to, his words somehow making the weight on Tommy's shoulder double. " the longer you put this off, the more difficult you'd get out of this problem,"

Before Tommy could response, he felt a pair of arms circling his neck. He glanced at Zack who was nodding at him then looked up to meet Kim's honey chocolate eyes. " Hi, Kim,"

" Hey yourself," Kim pulled her arms from its place around Tommy's neck and moved around to sit at the vacant chair beside him. " so guys, what were you talking about?"

" Nothing," Zack quickly answered, a little bit too fast not to drag some attention from Kim.

" Absolutely," Billy confirmed.

Kim cocked her eyebrows at the awkwardness around the table. " O-kay… am I missing something?"

" No,"

" Yes," Trini kicked Tommy's foot under the table, making him cringe. She kept her face still, ignoring the glare coming from Tommy. " actually, yes, there's something you need to know,"

" Which is…," Kim looked impatiently at Tommy, her hand clutching his tightly. " come on! You're driving me nuts here,"

" Tommy is going to take you dinner tonight," Jason filled in before anybody said anything. Tommy's expression was a mix between relief that he didn't have to tell Kim right now, but with a growing panic because tonight, the truth must come out. " right, Tommy?"

Jason nodded understandingly. Whatever Tommy would tell Kim, it'd be better if he told her in person. Alone and not with a bunch of their friends sitting around. Had known Kim almost the rest of his life, Jason was sured that it wouldn't be pretty.

" Really?" Kim asked, a smile starting to replace the pout on her face.

" Depends on you, that is," Tommy returned her smile with his own. " so what'd you say?"

" You got yourself a date then," Kim nodded. " wait up, I'll order something first,"

Tommy watched as Kim stood up and went to Ernie. As soon as she's far enough, Tommy hissed at Jason, " A dinner?"

" Do you prefer to tell her right now, with us here?" Jason challenged him. At Tommy's silent manner, he said, " thought so,"

" Can't you stay somewhere… do you have any relatives in Angel Grove?" Trini questioned her curiousity. "or I don't know, maybe you can stay with one of the guys?"

" Indeed," Billy pointed out, putting his glass on. " that is an excellent suggestion,"

" Yeah, Tommy, I can ask my folks," Jason nodded in unison with Zack.

Tommy was about to answer when he saw Kim walking back to their table. He frowned when he looked at how pale her face was. Her facial feature was emotionless and it tickled his protectiveness towards her. He opened his mouth to ask what happened but she spoke first.

It was almost under a whisper and Tommy had to lean over to catch her words. " How could you?"

For Tommy it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water into his heart. He swore his heart had stopped beating in his chest. " Kim?" he asked warily.

Kim threw him a look that make him closed his mouth at the last minute. Her eyes were slightly watered and he knew she was on the brink of crying. Without saying another word, Kim grabbed her bag from her chair and practically flew out of the Youth Center.

" Oh, shit," Tommy murmured under his breath and quickly scrambled to his feet.

" Oh man," Zack watched as Tommy run to give Kim a chase. " this wasn't what we expected,"

" Yes, but just how-," Billy asked perplexedly, there's a deep frown on his brow. He turned around and the answer lay one meter from them. " ah, this is-,"

" Nightmare," Jason completed grimly. " apparently Kim knew it from Marissa,"

The redhead approached their table with a bemused look on her face. " What happened? Did I say something wrong?"

Trini sighed. Although she wanted to yell at Marissa, she knew it wasn't her fault. Marissa must have guessed that Kim had known about Tommy's plan to move for Texas. She _was_ his girlfriend after all.

**TK**

" Kim, Kimberly, wait!" Tommy reached out his hand to grab and turned her to face him. It upset him to see her face redden, obviously holding back her tears. " listen to me,"

Kim tried to pull her arm but he held on tight. Growling, she raised her free hand and slapped him hard. The sudden movement startled him but he didn't let go. "Right now, my ears just don't want to listen to you. I don't want to see you!"

" I can explain," he said desperately, moving one step forward. " Kim,"

" You lied to me. Why should I listen to someone who's lying to me?" her eyes were steely, just like her voice. " you've never told me about this. You didn't even say a word about this when," she made a motion with her hand. " when I told you about Gina. When I opened up myself to you… I can't believe this," Kim looked away.

" That's why I couldn't tell you that time," Tommy urged. The slap she gave him was like a sharp blade pushing right through his heart but he knew it had no compare to what she's feeling right now. " I just couldn't bring up myself to say the words. Not when you-,"

" When I was what, Tommy?" she snapped severely. " you think I'm such a poor, fragile girl who can't accept the fact that my boyfriend will move to Texas? You really think I would drop on my knees and break down? How do you think this make me feel? I admit that it broke my heart when I found out that you're moving, but it crushed me to know that you didn't tell me… it's been almost a week,"

" I'm really sorry, Kim. I didn't mean to any of these to happen," Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. He had hurt her and he didn't ever want to do that. " I'm going to tell you, tonight, at the dinner,"

" Does any of the guys know this?" Kim asked, biting her lips so hard. She had the feeling of what his answer's gonna be, but she wanted to hear it straight from his mouth.

" They do," he said helplessly.

Kim smirked bitterly, folding her arms over her chest. " And you told Marissa, but not me. That's really assuring, Tommy,"

Right. So she heard it from Marissa. Recalling Marissa's initial crush at him, Kim wouldn't like it to know that he told her but not Kim. Except that he didn't. "I didn't. You can ask Jason if you don't believe me. She's there when I talked to him. It's merely an accident,"

" I don't know, Tommy. This is too much for me to take," Kim looked down, grasping her hands together until her knuckles turned white. " I need to go home and think about this," her steps stopped when Tommy followed her. " and I don't want to talk to you,"

" Kimberly, Beautiful…,"

" Please, Tommy,"

**Tommy to Jason**

" I'm so dead, Jase. I'm screwed," he nearly whined over the receiver.

" _Tommy man, give her time. You know it shocked her," _

" What should I do? She rejected all my phone calls," Tommy grabbed the teddy bear, the birthday present from Kim. He had put it on the nightstand and sometimes, when he felt somewhat melancholy and missed her, he would sleep with it. That was one fact that nobody beside him knew and also one fact that would make his life turn into a living hell if Jason or Zack found out.

" _Like I've said, give her time. I hate to tell you this, bro, but you've hurt her by not telling her sooner and well, it'll take time,"_

" And she knew that from Marissa, which make things get worse,"

" _I've known her for so long, Tommy. The reason she's acting so… cold, is because she's afraid. Her cold exterior, not wanting to accept your calls…she just doesn't want to break down in front of you. Kim being cold to you is just a mask to cover her tears,"_

" Gee…That makes me better, thanks, Jase," Tommy said sardonically into his pillow. He shifted a little to find a better position.

" _My point is, you don't have to take her actions so much into your heart. Sometimes that can make you lose your focus and everytime it happens, well, you're not thinking or doing very good. Don't blame yourself, okay,"_

' Don't blame yourself…' Kim had said it to him so many times, everytime he started the guilty feeling trip. He said he'd be okay because he had her to remind him. But now? She wasn't here to comfort him, to tell him everything would be alright. She didn't even want to talk to him.

" _You hear me, Tommy? Don't lose your head and don't blame yourself," _

That's correct. He had Jason and the others. And Jason's right, all he needed to do right now was to make sure that he didn't lose Kim. But how about his father? Tommy knew for certain that this was such a precious chance. He couldn't let his father down.

And Kimberly? His beautiful and the first girl he ever gave his heart to.

**Kimberly to Trini**

" _Don't be too hard on him, Kim. He's just as miserable as you are right now,"_

" I hate him for telling Marissa," Kim said stubbornly, throwing the last tissue paper to the floor. She had cried herself out and now her eyes were red and puffy. It'd show tomorrow but she was just too upset to give a damn care.

" _She heard it by accident. Jason told me that,"_

" Then I hate him for hiding this so long from me. He's practically lying to me,"

" _He didn't know how to let you know without hurting you,"_

" Didn't want to hurt me, huh? A little bit too late for that, don't you think?" Kim pulled the cover more tightly around her. "He called a couple of times and I didn't accept any of those," Kim said, her eyes wandering to the pinch-my-nose bear sitting on her drawer. She remembered about the slap this afternoon and a knot formed inside her stomach.

" _Kim, it is in the time like this that he really needs you. Don't turn your back at him,"_

Kim screamed into her pillow. She had to release all the stress and got spotted by her mother wouldn't do a bit. After she cooled down, she replied." I won't. I just, I need time to think about this. Let me tell you something, I'm not sure I can see him at school tomorrow and not wanting to cry,"

" _I appreciate your honesty,"_

" It's not like we've never fought before …," Kim remarked although she realized that this time, the situation was completely different. " I'm not even sure if we're still together," not after the slap. It got to be hurt. Her palm was still stinging for a while after it landed on Tommy's cheek. She didn't mean to, it just… she didn't even realize what she'd done, not until his puppy dog look bored into her.

" _What? Of course you two are still together! Don't you want to make Beverly's eyes fell off their sockets?" _Trini laughed_. " you just have to see her face when Tommy came to your locker and threw his arm around your shoulder! Just wait till she sees you and him kissing. That'll knock her into coma,"_

The images of Beverly lying on the hospital bed cracked a tiny smile from Kimberly. " Hmm.. that'd make my day," she said in a wicked way.

" _You bet,"_ then the playfulness in Trini's voice replaced with more serious tone. _" look, Tommy could freely tell us because we're just his friends. Do you understand what I mean? It's not a big deal to tell us. But you, that's another matter. You're someone he cares so much and that's why, even though logically you're the first person he should tell, he simply couldn't. You mean a lot to him and he couldn't bear to hurt you," _

With that, her Asian friend left Kimberly something to think about for the rest of the night.

**Oliver residence**

**- 09.45 p.m.**

Tommy descended the stairs, producing loud thumps when he did so. He found his father in the living room and had already opened his mouth when he saw that his Dad was in the middle of a phone conversation. Benjamin gave him a nod and told Tommy to sit with the gesture of his hand.

" Yes, I understand. Okay, yes. Goodnight,"

At the time Ben clicked off the cordless, Tommy was immediately on his feet. Ben regarded him with an amused look. " Yes, Tommy?"

" Dad, I've made my decision,"

* * *

**: One chapter down, one more to go. I've been writing this fic for quite sometimes now and I'll be missing this ; ) So, thank you for reading and please, don't forget to leave your reviews. They brightened up my days. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri ; )**


	21. You and I Both

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I just own everything that isn't Power Rangers related.**

**: Thank you so much for all the reviews! And yes, this is the last chapter. I just want to thank everyone who has been reading this story since the very beginning and for all my reviewers, you're all so amazing. You guys making my first series so wonderful and your continuing reviews encourage me to keep updating! Once again, thank you so much! Lol, I feel like crying right now ; ) **

**Anyway, this is the chapter finale for you. For the last time, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter twenty one: You and I both… **

" _Dad, I've made my decision…," _

Tommy gazed out of the window, looking aimlessly at the darkened road. Behind the driver seat, his father had been talking about his new and innovative idea of how to boost the company's income for the last half an hour. Tommy didn't hear a single word he said.

Leaning his head against the window of Ben's white mazda, Tommy closed his eyes. He had made a choice and hopefully, it's for the best.

**Kimberly and Jason - 08.14 p.m.**

" _Ehm, Kim?" Jason began carefully and waited for her response. When she mumbled, he went on," do you mind if I'm asking something?"_

" You already have," Kim chuckled dryly. " what?"

" _Tommy was absent yesterday and today, don't you feel, I don't know, worry about him? I mean, he didn't contact you, right?"_

After what had happened, she didn't wonder why Tommy's not contacting her. He probably hated her so much and not wanting to ever see her again. " No, he didn't,"

" _You two haven't talked about… it,"_ Jason was stating, not questioning her.

Kim twisted her hair around her finger and wet her lips that suddenly went dry. " No. I was going to, but well, he's absent,"

" _You're stalling, you know that, don't you?"_ Jason gently scolded her and Kim felt her face go red. This guy knew her better than she did. She hated it sometimes. _" it's not like you didn't know his address or have you ever heard something called telephone? It's a plastic thing that people use for-,"_

" Shut up, Jason," Kim stopped him before he could finish his small lecture. Jason sighed at the other end.

" _Kim, grow up,"_ he said matter-of-factly. Jason was probably the only person beside her parents and Trini who could say the words without ending flat on his back. _"you want to talk to him, to see him and hell, I even know you want to apologize to him," _

" Apologize!" Kim scoffed. "me?"

" _You're torturing yourself and yes, Miss, you make him more miserable than before,"_ Jason continued. _"you are his girlfriend, Kim,"_

" _Were_ his girlfriend maybe is the more perfect term," Kim said quietly, hating herself for everything that had happened.

The next thing Jason said was like a slap on her face. _" You're supposed to be there with him when he needed you the most. He cared for you so much that he couldn't bring up himself to tell you and now, when you finally figured it out, you just turn your back on him. That's really mature, Kimberly,"_

Hot tears stung her eyes and she bit her lips hard to prevent them to spill over her cheeks. She wiped it angrily. " Why don't you try to put yourself in my position, Jase? Then tell me how it feels," her voice was shaking from holding back her sob.

" _It doesn't matter anymore,"_ Jason said, startling her.

" What?" she asked, not feeling too good about this.

" _Kim, you don't know?" _

" Know what?" she sat straight on her bed, throwing the cover away. " Jason!"

Jason was silent for five seconds before answering, _" Tommy has left Angel Grove this evening,"_

The words struck her like a tidal wave and she dropped the receiver to her lap. Jason's words ringing on her ears. Tommy had left. He's gone. He left her.

"_I'm always gonna be with you until you're getting sick of me," _

He promised her. But now, he left.

**Jason, Trini, Zack and Billy ****- Billy's lab**

" Kim! Kimberly? Hey, Kim, are you still there?" Jason said repeatedly to the receiver but got nothing. He then put the phone back and looked at his four friends sitting on the sofa that Billy had stored. " she hang up,"

" Damn," Zack swore, hitting the armchair.

**Kimberly**

Kim practically jumped out of her bed once she regained her composure back. Glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand, she grabbed her sweater and dashed out of the room.

Please, please, jut let her see him, for the last time at least. She couldn't let him go with this unsettling business between them. She had to tell him that she was sorry, that she loved him too much to be able to face him. She needed this second chance.

It's a good thing that she didn't get into an accident on her way to Tommy's house. Her mom would faint if she saw how her daughter driving that night. Kim unbuckled the seatbelt and opened the door, nearly tripped when she tried to get out with super speed.

The light on the Oliver's house was off and Kim heart sank to the bottom of her heart. Kim run to the front door and banged at the door, pressing the doorbell every two seconds. Alas, noone answered. Fighting back her tears, she stepped aside and peered over the window. No need a genius to see that the house was empty.

Sniffling, Kim inhaled a deep breath to compose herself and she dragged her feet to go back to the car.

Kim bolted the door behind her and went straight to the stairs, playing deaf when her mother called out for her. Her tears streaked down her face and she wanted to beat herself for being such a coward. She had wanted to pick up the phone so badly but no, her fears practically overwhelmed her longing to talk to Tommy. It's too late now, Jason was right. She might have hurt herself, but more importantly, she had hurt Tommy.

She threw her fatigue body to her bed and immediately curled into a ball. She took her pillow and buried her face on it. She was so stupid. So so very stupid.

Faintly she heard a song from the radio. She must have forgot to turn it off. Well, who could blame her? The prospect of not seeing Tommy again was enough to forget about anything.

That was her favorite station and now, the topic for tonight was heartbroken. Kim laughed bitterly. This fit her situation so much. She had always thought that she loved Tommy, but not until now, until he had left maybe for good, that she realized how much Tommy meant for her. Thinking about not seeing him again made Kim want to throw up.

Kim picked up the receiver and pressed a phone number.

**Tommy - 09.09 p.m.**

" That was a nice song," Ben commented when _Love of My Life_ from _Queen_ finished playing on the radio. "your mother used to love it so much,"

Tommy turned his head slightly to see his father grinning sheepishly. Ben was so rarely talking about his past relationship with Tommy's mother. Especially since the divorce. " That's cool," He thought he had found the love of _his_ life here, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Thinking of Kim made his heart ache so he decided to open a new topic. " tell me again about that time when you're in college,"

Ben raised an amused eyebrow. " You interested in my college time? Since when, Son?"

" Okay, forget it," Tommy chuckled, turning his eyes back to the road. " oh yeah, David called the motel this morning when you're away. He said something about talking to you about… Jemima?" yeah, he guessed that's the name David said.

" You must have forgot about it, right, Son?" Ben couldn't help not to tease Tommy's infamous memory. "he had called my cell a few hours ago. Said that he would have to kick your butt for forgetting,"

Tommy grinned bashfully at his father but then his curiousity took over and he asked, " Jemima? David was in a hurry so he didn't have time to tell me about her. Who's she?"

Ben stopped the car when the traffic light turned red. He used the time to check his pager. " Huh? Oh, his girlfriend," that successfully dragged Tommy's full attention. " oh maybe the right word is fiancee,"

" His what!"

" I assumed that David forgot to tell you that he'd proposed?" Ben winked. " what should I do with my two terrible memories sons? Wonder where you got that gene from because your mother and I are both-,"

" O-kayy, Dad, cut it out," Tommy shook his head at the silliness. " but wow, David's enganged? I didn't even know about her,"

" That or you forgot?" Ben started the engine once the traffic light changed. At his son's annoyed groan, Ben laughed.

As the smile started to fade, Tommy beginning to think about the irony of his life. Don't get him wrong, he was genuinely happy for his brother. David was a good man and if this Jemima could make him happy, Tommy had no complain, although he hadn't got the chance to meet this girl personally yet. David's standard was pretty high so it wouldn't shock Tommy if this woman was like somekind of a model or something like that. David was one step closer to be a married man while he was… stucked in the middle, not knowing what to do about his feeling about Kimberly. Hell, he didn't even sure if she was still his to cared.

He had hurt her badly and he understood completely if she didn't want to deal with him anymore. But he wouldn't let her go without a fight, it's just not his nature to give up so easily over something. Especially not this one.

" Hey, Tommy, listen to this," Ben said, leaning over to turn up the volume. " is that Kimberly? Do you know another Kimberly Hart?"

Tommy's heart nearly stopped beating at the first mention of her name. Did he know another Kimberly Hart? As far as he knew, there's only one Kim Hart and that was the beautiful, highly spirited, caring, brave, smart, caramel haired gymnast who had had his heart since so long ago.

And now the Kimberly Hart was talking on the radio.

" _So, Kimberly, do you want to share your story with us?" _Kelly asked gently. His Dad had tuned in to the _Night talk with Kelly_ and called it coincidence, called it faith. His dad NEVER listened to this program before.

Kim anwered and Tommy closed his eyes. It had been too long since he heard her much missed voice. Her voice was kind of hoarse and Tommy wondered what had caused it. It's not the bad reception either. She almost sounded like she had been crying.

" _Yeah, Kelly. I just, I don't know where to start,"_

" _It's okay. How about from the beginning? When you first met this guy," _

Tommy found himself hard to swallow when she answered, _" His name was Tommy, he's a transferred student from Texas. At the first time, being friends was the last thing we had in minds. Due to some… things, we hated each other. Even the first time I talked to him was because of a stupid misunderstanding. That pretty much what led us to our full of hatred friendship,"_

Tommy could feel his Dad eyes focus on him but he really could care less.

" _As the time went by, we felt that we'd got used to each other, although most of the times we're only arguing, but there's something there and we finally admitted that we liked each other. Long story short, we got together. Our relationship was complicated to say the least. It's not a smooth one but that what made us stronger. Until something happened,"_

Right now, Tommy appreciated his father so much for not asking question. He didn't want to miss a single word Kim said plus he didn't know if his brain could produce an answer.

" _I've made a mistake, a terrible mistake. I was being a selfish bitch and when I realized it, it's far too late. He's left now and I can't say how truly sorry I am,"_ at her last words, her voice wavering and Tommy could tell that she was full on crying at the moment.

" _Tommy left?" _

" _Yes. His father was offered a job back in Texas and Tommy went with him,"_

" _Thank you for sharing your story with us, Kim. Who knows, he maybe listens to you right now. Do you have any song request?" _

Kim requested a song and when the slow song from the 80s played, Tommy turned his head to meet Ben's dark eyes. He still could feel his heart beating like he had been running in a marathon.

" What that was all about?" Ben queried.

**Jason, Trini, Zack and Billy - Billy's lab**

Trini wacked Zack's arm hard, making the boy in black jumped on his seat. " What did you do that for?"

" For you being so stupid, that's why," Trini said and sank deeper into the couch. In front of them, Jason was still walking in a small circle, the phone was still on his hand.

" Me!" Zack weakly protested.

" Well, yeah, this was your brilliant idea!" Trini said, her anger was only fueled by her concern for her bestfriend.

" Excuse me, but you and all of you, I mean," Zack pointed his friends one by one. " approved my 'brilliant idea' not so long time ago. How could you blame me right now?"

" You need to calm down, Trini," Billy said from his place beside Zack. He stood up and moved to stand in front of his computer. He was as anxious as the beautiful Vietnamese and dealing with things he familiar with helped him to reduce the anxiety a little. " Jason?"

The martial artist clicked off the phone for the twenty three times and took a seat on the lone chair beside the computer desk. " Still busy,"

" Okay, so now what do we do? That was a little bit harsh, what you're saying to her," Trini said gloomily.

" Well, having her to hang up the phone on me like that was not part of the plan," Jason felt the need to defend himself. Trini was indeed a calm, kindhearted person but wait until you experienced her tongue lashing. You didn't want to make her angry. Jason had gone through that once and he didn't wish for an encore. " she won't do anything stupid, will she?"

" I don't know about that. She just got scolded by her brother and heard that her boyfriend had left her without saying anything to her. Again. Are that enough reasons for us to get worried?" Zack said and received another smack from Trini. " what's wrong with you!"

" Yeah, this is a very brilliant idea. Deceiving her like that…,"

" Zack's intention was good," Billy said, giving Zack an encouraging smile. " he wanted to have Kim and Tommy talked again and it was a very creative idea. We want them to reconcile, right?"

" Yes, but Jason could just say the truth and not some bull like that," Trini insisted.

Jason got up and rubbed his hands together. " Who's up for a night drive?"

**Tommy - 09.11 p. m.**

" Tommy?"

Tommy would happily answer his dad if only he could find his ability to talk. Same as Benjamin, he didn't have a clue of what Kim was saying just now.

" Why did she say that-, I thought you're-, care to explain?" Ben demanded, keeping one eye to the road.

" I don't know," Tommy shook his head. " I didn't say anything to her, about my final decision to move to Texas,"

" You're not…,"

" No, I'm stick to my words. I'm staying," Tommy confirmed.

" _Dad, I've made my decision,"_

" _You have," Ben sat on his abandoned chair and Tommy followed. " and what will that be?"_

_Tommy took a deep breath of air and looked at his father's waiting eyes. " I'm staying. I'm sorry, Dad, I just, I can't leave, not when I've found what I'd been looking for since so long," he smiled at his dad's changed of expression. " I finally found a place that I fit in to. All my friends here and there's Kim. I don't want to leave her," _

_The determination reflected on Tommy's eyes reminded Ben of himself when he was about Tommy's age. The guy had made a decision and that's that. _

" _I was thinking if maybe I could stay with Uncle Ian?" Tommy suggested. " I just remember that he just got back from France and I don't know, maybe I can convince him for letting me stay? We're always close before he went for Paris," Ian Oliver was three years younger than Benjamin Oliver. His wife was diagnosed of cancer five years ago and sadly, Aunt Sharon didn't make it. Uncle Ian grieved but he moved on with his life. He went to France to pursuit his love for arts and the latest news Tommy heard, he's coming back. _

_The timing was so perfect that Tommy felt like kissing anybody in one meter radius when he knew the news. _

" _I can call him. He won't be back until next month though," Ben said. _

" _I know and Jason has been so generous and offered me to stay on his place for the time being," _

" _I have to call the Scotts as well then," _

_Tommy eyed his father closely, stunned at how easy he fix this mess. " Are you okay with this, Dad?" _

" _In my eyes, you're an adult, Tommy. I respect your decision, whatever it is,"_

" You haven't told Kimberly, then?" Ben asked.

He didn't even get the chance to tell her about this small trip to Stone Canyon. His father had asked him to go with him and there he went. Tommy hadn't seen her for what seemed an eternity and he missed her terribly. " Not yet, but I thought Jason and the others would tell her,"

" Well, apparently they didn't," Ben said as he made a left turn.

They were about fifteen minutes drive from Angel Grove and Tommy wanted nothing to go to Kim's house and see her. He squirmed on his chair and Ben let out a good laugh at that.

Tommy turned to face his father. They had decided to stop at the local diner because they hadn't eaten anything since this afternoon but now food was not in his mind. Although the growl coming from his stomach was definitely disagree with him. " Dad, I have to make a phone call,"

" It's okay, I guess your little girl needs more than a phone call, don't you think?"

**Kimberly - 09.41 p.m.**

She had never cried her eyes out like this before. Okay, maybe that one time when she twisted her ankle just one day before the gymnastics competition when she was nine. But even when Max, went to France, she's not this crushed. That's because Max was just her crush, he's just a guy. But this was Tommy. They're different and Kim's feeling towards Max was not as strong as it was for Tommy. Tommy was the first guy who she wanted to be serious with. They maybe were just teenagers but what she was feeling towards him was unlike any other feelings in this world.

Kim was tired. Physically and mentally.

There's a knock on her door and Kim didn't even bulge. It probably was her mother, asking about her daughter's weird behaviour.

_She's in love, Mom. And she's brokenhearted right now. _

Another louder knock and she finally got up. Checking her appearance on the mirror, Kim sighed. She looked terrible. Her face looked so tired, both of her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was a mess. She ran her fingers through her caramel tresses, trying to fix the tangles.

She walked to the the door, all the while thinking about a reasonable explanation. She wiped her eyes and unlocked the door, swinging it open.

" Hey Beautiful,"

Kim blinked, not believing her eyes and her ears. Her breath seemed to catch on her throat and her mouth went dry. She was speechless.

Tommy, Tommy was standing tall in front of her. The heart-melting smile Kim loved so much was on his face. He had called her 'Beautiful' even though she realized that she looked like a total wreck right now.

He's not supposed to be here, calling her with his petname for her and gazing down at her with those warm eyes. What the hell he was doing here!

" Kimberly?" Tommy reached out his hand and was surprised when she stepped forward and punched his jaw with her small yet powerful fist. Just like that time at the Youth Center. He hissed. " Kim!"

" How dare you coming up here!" Kim shouted, her lips trembling. " you're not supposed to be here. How dare you leaving without telling me, making me miserable and suddenly you show up on my door and calling me Beautiful!"

Tommy dropped his hand from his aching jaw and grabbed her shoulders. " Kim, I'm here. I'm not leaving,"

" But, but-," she stammered as the first single of tears hit her cheek. Tommy wiped it with his thumb.

" I made you a promise, do you remember? I said I wouldn't leave you and I mean it," he pulled her into his embrace and hugged her close to him. God, it felt so good to have her in his arms again.

" But you're leaving! You're going back to texas," Kim whimpered, her hand clucthed his shirt.

" No, I'm staying," he said patiently, pulling a strand of falling hair behind her ear. " I actually kinda confused about what you're saying on the Night Talk with Kelly? I just don't understand,"

" You heard that?" her face got redder, if only that was possible. He nodded.

" I was told that you're leaving this evening and when I went to your house, it was empty and I was scared," Kim spoke like a ten year old, new tears forming in her eyes. " I was so mean to you and I hadn't even apologized to you. Now you're going and I thought I wouldn't see you again," Kim said against his muscled chest.

He kissed her forehead and tightening his hold on her, resting his chin on the top of her head. " Someone told you that I was leaving tonight?"

" Yes,"

Tommy looked down at the girl in his arms and it didn't need much time for him to realize what exactly had happened here. " Who told you that?"

" Jason,"

Tommy sighed hard at her answer. Jason Lee. That guy actually had the nerve to pull a prank like this and oh yeah, he wouldn't get away from this. " He's wrong. I'm staying. My Dad's the one leaving, but not tonight. Maybe about next week or so,"

Kim frowned. The tears on her cheeks began to dry. " Then why Jason said that-," she blinked, her mouth formed an o. " he lied to me! Jason, oh!" she groaned, stepping away from his grasp. " I can't believe he did that!"

" Er… Kim?" both Tommy and Kim turned their heads when Zack's voice cut in. All their friends were standing near the stairs, grinning like a bunch of idiots. " you two have kissed and made up already, huh?"

Tommy held Kim in place to prevent her from attacking Jason. He believed she would and she could kick his butt to the moon if she wanted to. " Calm down,"

" You're asking me to calm down? He lied to me!" Kim directed the words to Jason.

" Look, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to. I was going to tell you but you suddenly hang up like that and when I tried to call you back, the line was busy," Jason walked through Zack and Billy to stand in front of Kim. "we're really sorry,"

" We?" Kim squeaked, her eyes wandering to Billy and Trini. They smiled regretfully at her.

" Nice attempt, guys," Tommy said, slipping an arm around Kim's waist and pulling her closer until her jasmine shampoo wafted into his nose. " but not the best one,"

" At least things between you two are okay right now," Zack said, spinning one time before poking Tommy's chest. " right?"

Tommy looked at his friends smiling faces and down at Kim, who still looked slightly upset. " We're okay right now and we'll be okay till the end of time,"

**Tommy and Kimberly **

**- The Angel Grove Park **

**The next day**

" So you're going to Stone Canyon with your dad?" Kim asked, scooting closer to Tommy.

" Yes,"

" And you're not moving to Texas but you're going to stay with your Uncle Ian?" she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

" That's right," Tommy gazed adoringly at her. Kim glanced away so he couldn't see the faint blush on her face under his gentle appraisal. Tommy just didn't have any idea what effect he had on her.

" And since your uncle won't be back till next month, you're going to stay with Jason's family?"

It was Tommy's turn to kiss her cheek and Kim's heart bubbled with relief and glee. " Yup,"

" That's so amazing!" Kim threw her arms around him and hugged Tommy tightly. " this day is just so perfect. The sun is shining brightly, the birds are singing beautifully and you're staying. I can't ask for anything else,"

" But I can,"

Kim pulled away and questioned, " What's that?"

" These past few days when you're angry with me," her face fell at the mention of their sort-of-fight and he tilted her chin up. " hey, now, none of those sad faces here. Not now. Good,"

" I'm still going to give Jason and the others hell for doing this to me. Even Billy and Trini! Can you believe that?" Kim asked and pouted.

" Yes, I actually can," he answered honestly. Those were his friends alright. A little bit crazy but still his best buddies and he and Kim owed them a lot. " but that's later, right? Now, it's Tommy and Kimberly time,"

Kim chuckled. " That sounds like that children television program with dancing and singing rabbits in it,"

She graced him with her beauty, both external and internal, amazed him with her wittiness and humbled him with her love for him and him only. Tommy grinned. " Back to the topic. The thing I wanted to ask you is… I want to kiss you," without waiting for her response, he leaned down and sealed her lips with his. His hands moved to craddle her head while the kiss grew more intense. Lips nibbling and playing and for Tommy, this was the best feeling he had ever experienced. Being in love was indeed the most wonderful feeling in this world.

There're so many had happened between Kimberly and him and finally they came to this day. The day where everything would be alright for the two of them. He's not going anywhere and there's a bright future waiting for them. They might not know what the future held for them, but together, they could overcome anything. Tommy kissed her one last time and pulled away.

" Hmmm," Kim purred dreamily and opened her eyes. " that was some kiss,"

" Do you realize something? If your mom and my dad continued their relationship and ended up married, your name would be Kimberly Oliver," Tommy pointed out out of the blue.

" That had a nice ring to it," Kim seemed to reconsider the name. " and you'll be my brother. Ack, that's a scary thought!"

" But, even though they didn't, you're still going to be a Kimberly Oliver someday…," he stopped mid- sentence and leered at her.

" Oh you!" Kim playfully swatted his arm and suddenly her mouth was being occupied because Tommy pulled her to another lingering kiss.

**THE END**

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**: Okay… that's it. The end of this story. Twenty one chapters and it's finally over. Thank you so much for reading. I'm really having so much fun in writing this story! Thank you for your supports and let see, maybe I'm going to add one additional chapter ; ) I have something in mind. Please don't forget to leave your reviews, let me know what you think of this fic. As always, NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri : )**


	22. After chapter 21 there's

**You and I Both…**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, just own everything that wasn't Power Rangers related. **

**: Hey again! Yes, this is the extra chapter. Not long and not exactly an epilogue but I hope you like this. Thank you for the reviews, knowing that you enjoyed this story really means a lot to me. This one was a little… different, but I had fun in writing this one ; )**

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**Chapter twenty two: After chapter 21 there's…**

Liz glanced over her shoulder and saw the man who had been her object of distractions since the second day she decided to take a part time job here, at the Juice Bar. Helping Ernie while the guy who usually helped him was away on vacation. If only she didn't need the money, she wouldn't even take this job. But well, he did pay her well, even all she had to do were just standing behind the counter and asking for people's orders. Okay. Back to reality.

She realized that he went to the high school and she was a university student. People said that love knows no boundary and love is blind. Yeah, that undisputably, was very correct. It's not her habit to like a guy who's much younger than she was, but there's just something in him that attracted her to him so much until she often spacing out, resulting a long lecture from Ernie.

The first thing that caught her eyes was with no doubt, his face. That man was just so handsome. One could say that the long haired martial artist was indeed a beautiful man. With those long lashes… Anyway, he probably was the best looking guy she had ever seen, considering how many male population in here, Angel Grove. That guy won it all.

The tall brunette still had the memories from their first meeting. It's simple actually, he came over to the counter and ordered smoothies for him and his friends. And she, being the new person and all, found him as a very soothing sight for sore eyes. That smile, Baby… what a smile!

Uh oh, here he comes! Automatically, Liz's hands moved to smooth down her curly hair and prepared her best smile.

" Hi, Tommy," she greeted readily. Yeah, that's the name. How'd she find out? That's Ernie for sure.

" Hey, can I have a watermelon and strawberry smoothie, please?" his momma raised him well and for that, Liz was so very much grateful. His mother must have tought him as well not to forget to flash a small smile when he was talking because oh God. That smile… She almost melted.

" Thirsty?"

Tommy's brown eyes softened when he answered. " Actually it's for Kim. She'll be here any minutes,"

Liz's heart sank at the statement. Of course. Kimberly Hart aka Miss Popular aka Tommy's girlfriend. And from what she had collected, they had been dating for about two years and a half now. How could she forget about her? That day, when she tried to flirt with Tommy-, ehm, kids, do not try this at home, his respond was not too disappointing. She was walking in cloud nine when suddenly a gymnast jumped down from the balance beam and ran towards the bar. Liz thought she was just a common customer, tired after the routine she just had. And boy, could she be more wrong…

The thought was quickly swept away when Tommy reached out his arms and pulled the girl into his embrace, kissing her right in front of Liz's face. Very smooth, Lizzie… For her information, Tommy Oliver was kind to _everybody_.

" Okay, one watermelon and strawberry smoothie comin' right up!" she tried to steady her voice and began making the drinks. In time like this, evil thoughts sometimes would visit her mind. She knew for a fact that the strawberry one was for Kim and who knows, if she mistakened the sugar with chlorine…My God! She chided herself hard. What the hell she was thinking! It's not like Tommy would turn to her if Kim wasn't around. Sighing, she poured the dark liquor into a glass.

Tommy and Kimberly were two persons in love. That was crystal clear to everyone with eyes. They often came together with the gang or just the two of them sometimes. Seeing someone you had crush on with another person who's not you was hurt. From her eagle eyes, she knew how they regularly sat at the table in the corner. As far as she'd observed, they were not that type of couples that showed many PDAs, but plenty enough to make _her_ hope that she was Kim.

" Here you go," Liz put the two tall glasses in front of Tommy and after he paid AND another heart-melting smile, he's off to their table, leaving her alone with her loneliness and longing to have him as her boyfriend. He's just so cute. That sexy hair, those eyes, that smile… Kimberly Hart was officially the luckiest girl in town.

About ten minutes later, from the corner of her trained eyes, Liz spotted the figure of the petite gymnast, looking beautiful as always. Liz didn't want to witness the meet and greet of the couple but her eyes moved involuntarily towards them. Her jaw tightened.

Tommy gave Kim a tender hello kiss on the lips and to add to Kim and Liz's surprise, he grabbed her waist and pulled Kim until she sat on his lap. What happened next was not difficult to predict. They talked and in the middle of the conversation, Tommy would occasionally peck a kiss here and there. They were so cute that it was almost sickening to look at them.

Liz sighed in half frustation and aggravation. Kim was so lucky. She would willingly trade anything to have Tommy staring down at her with the thing that one could only describe as an affectionate gaze.

" Liz!" a sudden voice startled her. She had been staring at the number one couple and hoping that she was Kim until she ignored two teenagers standing in front of the counter, ready to order.

" Sorry, Ernie," she apologized… not! It had been almost two weeks and Liz thought that she had done a pretty good job. Plus with the 'bonus', she had no complain.

" You're zoning out. Where were you just now?" Ernie shook his head before turning back into the pile of bills lying in front of him.

" Yes, can I take your order, please?"

**----- A few weeks later**

It had been three weeks and there's no sign that Tommy would be back single. Liz released a long sigh. Who she was kidding. The possibility he would suddenly break things off with Kim was the same as the chance she would become a Hollywood superstar. So that would be like… never!

Once again, she watched Tommy bring their drinks to their table. This time, they had their three other friends to keep them company. Like that would be an issue. Liz did aware that when they weren't alone, Tommy and Kim would decrease the intensity into a lower state. Less kissing, more teasing. They would whisper to each other's ear and then giggle at it.

Okay, girl… Snap out of it! Fine, so he was handsome, cute, cool and charming. But that didn't mean that he was also smart, caring, brave or perhaps affectionate…Urgh….

The problem was, Liz knew that Tommy was everything that a girl could ask. No, no, no! Then again, the long hair was kind of disturbing. How could she date someone whose hair was longer than hers? No way.

Liz took a glass and a towel then started drying it. Brad asked her out to the movie yesterday. If she thought about him again, he's not too bad. The dimples were kinda cute. She might consider his offer. What his number again?

" Excuse me, can I have a chocolate smoothie, please?" a deep voice cut her trail of thoughts. She lifted her head and saw a young man with short, spiked dark hair in a red muscle shirt. She fast recognized him as Jason Lee Scott, one of Tommy's buddies. The one she didn't notice before was how cool and attractive he looked in a near distance like this. Plus, his hair was shorter than hers. Liz grinned.

" Of course, one chocolate ice's comin' right up!"

God, would she ever learn? Nah…

_**- Tommy and Kimberly**_

" _Yeah, he told me about Liz…," Kim laughed and slipped her hand into Tommy's larger one. " oh God, this was too funny,"_

_Tommy's eyebrow stood up. " Really? Well, she's a little bit too old for him, but that's okay," he too broke into laughters. Jason had told him yesterday that the girl was kinda weird but not saying anything about her hitting on him. _

_Kim grinned and squeezed his hand. They had stopped at their usual spot at the park. Tommy gazed into the water and turned to face her, taking both of her hands in his. She's eyeing him inquisitively, knowing that he was nervous about something. " Do you want to say something?"_

" _Do you remember, that time, when I said about you being Kimberly Oliver someday?" he said, the memory was still fresh in his mind. The smile Kim wore telling him that she didn't forget either. _

" _I do remember about the kiss you gave me after that comment…," she teased and Tommy chuckled with her. He took a step closer and framed her face with his hands. " what about it?"_

" _Well, that was more like promise. A promise that I would keep until the time is right," _

" _And…?"_

" _You'll be a Kimberly Oliver, that's my promise to you so you'd better be prepared because you're stuck with me," Tommy said with a tinge of humor in his voice. He kissed her deeply, trying to tell her that he wasn't joking. She put her arms around him, amazed at how his kisses still could turn her knees into jelly after all this time. " I probably had said this many times before but I'm grateful that I moved to Angel Grove and got the chance to meet you,"_

" _You mean that you're grateful because you finally realized how stupid you were back then and how lucky you are to have such an understanding and caring girlfriend like me. It's still a wonder why you haven't driven me insane, you know,"_

_Tommy laughed at her words. " I wasn't stupid. I was just a poor, misguided guy," he winked." at least I managed to get my rationality back,"_

_Kim put her hand on top of his that rested on her shoulder. "You give me your words and I'll hold onto that,"_

_They looked at each other, smiling. No words were needed, they knew each other's heart too well. _

" _I love you," he said quietly. _

" _Love you too,"_

**Fin **

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**: Again, that's the end. This was really the last installment of this fic. The idea just got into my head at the last minute and I thought it would be fun to write something in a third person POV and yes, it indeed was fun. Lol. I don't know if I would make a sequel, but I have another TK ( yes, again. That's the only thing I write ) on the way. The temporary title is _The sun, the moon and the stars._ I'll try to post the first chapter in about a week or two. Thank you for reading and please, don't forget to leave your reviews. NO FLAME!**

**- Yuuri : )**


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